The Other One
by FemmeFatale55
Summary: Two years after the Tartarus fight the world is riddled with demons once again. Fairy Tail gains the help of an old member but what is her connection to the world's current situation? Is she lying about who she is?
1. The Girl in the Book

Hello hello! I'm here with a brand new story. I know OCs in Fairy Tail are rare but please give mine a chance. Heads up, this is up to date with the latest Fairy Tail chapters. All events happening 418 may or may not be included. I'll definitely be finishing it before the manga because Mashima said we're halfway through it so far. Enjoy!

I do not own anything except everything you don't recognize.

* * *

Chapter 1. The Girl in the Book

Year X793

Makarov Dreyar, the third and sixth master of the strongest guild in Fiore, slumped over his desk. He had hit the bottom of his glass four times in half an hour. The Magic Council had sent over a notice. They needed more wizards to take care of Zeref's demons. A sudden influx had been terrorizing towns all over the continent. The council's own troops were made quick work of, most did not report back. Half of Fairy Tail was still recovering from the last few missions. 'At this rate, we'll all be dead,' thought Makarov.

"Drinking won't help."

Makarov's head snapped up. "First Master!"

Mavis Vermillion smiled sweetly and lightly giggled as Makarov straightened up his office.

"First Master, you can't keep appearing like this," said Makarov.

Mavis glided over to an empty chair in front of his desk.

"I could not stay on Tenrou. Not with the world suffering like this. More and more of his demons are popping up." Makarov wiped his brow as Mavis spoke.

"I know. But what can we do? No one on Earth Land is strong enough to kill Zeref… yet. I fear that the world will be flooded with fire and blood once again."

"Not if I can help it," Mavis declared.

Makarov eyed the First Master suspiciously.

"What are you planning?"

Mavis held neither a childlike smile nor innocent aura. Her jade green eyes bore into Makarov's.

"We need to set her free."

Makarov almost chocked on his spit. His eyes bulged out. The idea of bringing back an old member of Fairy Tail… was preposterous. Unthinkable. Insane. What was Mavis thinking?

"Ophelia…?" A confirmation nod from Mavis was all he needed.

"How? He was the one that sealed her away."

Mavis eyes shined with mischief. "Three Wizard Saints should do it."

Makarov sat back in his seat and poured himself another drink. 'Can the world handle her and The Black Wizard again? Or will it sink under their weight?'

A week later, a team of some of Fairy Tails best and three Wizards Saints traveled to a remote island off the coast of Fiore. It was miniscule in size, with a rocky terrain and no signs of life. As the group maneuvered over the slippery slopes, a blast of dark energy hit them. Above them flew the three demons guarding Zeref's prized book. Unlike other books of his collection, this one housed not one of his creations but his greatest weakness. The group would not be stopped from obtaining it and unleashing the woman trapped inside for more than 100 hundred years. The three Wizard Saints stood back and let the others fight. They had to reserve their strength to break the seal on Zeref's book.

One of the demons was pierced in the stomach with an iced arrow. Mirajane aimed dark energy at them, knocking them out of the sky. Another met the fists of Natsu and Wendy. It was sent plummeting to the ground. The third struck Natsu in the back with a spiked heel and he collided into Wendy.

Gray used Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Bow again but the third demon easily dodged. The second demon came up behind Gray sending him a curse of fire. Gray held his side but then fell as the third shot similar flames. The Fire nipped at his skin. Mirajane gave the third demon a swift punch. Natsu consumed the fire surrounding Gray and let out a Fire Dragon Roar at the first demon, who had begun charging in.

Jumping back up, Gray released a beam of ice from his mouth, battering the two remaining demons.

The group trudged the rest of the way to the hidden cave beneath a bed of rock. Mavis and Warrod led as they sensed for the spirit of their old friend. Following a labyrinth of passages, they came upon a circular room. On the walls were eyes, claw marks and silhouettes of ancient beasts carved. At the center, an altar was erected. A large crucifix hung over a pedestal. On it lay a delicate and worn out book with three letters engraved on the cover; D.A.W.

The occupants of the room could feel a powerful amount of magical energy coming from the book. Mavis nodded at Makarov. Makarov, Jura and Warrod shot a massive stream of light, earth and green magic at the book. A blinding luminescence shook the cave as everyone shielded his or her eyes. When it died down, they looked up to see a young woman floating a few feet in the air.

Illuminated by soft light, her presence awed all but two, for they had witnessed her raw magic power before.

Her light silver hair swept around in a rush of air. Her eyes met Warrod's. Warrod's filled with tears as she smiled gently at him. Shock emitted from her face when she saw Mavis.

"Mavis...? Warrod, what is happening? Where are we? Oh hello," she said as she realized others were present.

"I feel-"The light vanished and she crumpled to the floor. The light was hiding her charred body. Blood seeped from the burns mingling with other bodily fluids. Her body's temperature rapidly decreased.

"Ophelia!" Warrod yelled.

Wendy rushed to her side and checked her body.

"I can heal some of the wounds but we have to get her to Porlyusica fast," Wendy said.

"Do what you can, young one," Jura said.

Wendy started using her healing spells, bathing Ophelia in light.

"What's wrong with her Gramps?" Natsu asked.

"She was hurt in battle before she was sealed away in the book. It's what kept her alive all this time," Makarov answered.

"That's all I can do for now. Let's get her back to the guild," Wendy said brushing off her skirt.

Five days later, Ophelia woke up. She was in a coma the first three as Porlyusica and Wendy worked night and day to keep her alive. The last two days she fought a high fever and was monitored by Mirajane and Wendy. Porlyusica left when she woke up from the coma leaving medicines and strict instructions.

The first things she saw were Makarov and Mavis.

"Mavis… you took on an ethereal body."

The two friends stared each other down. "It was necessary. I can't leave Fairy Tail to fend for themselves."

Ophelia's laugh was empty.

"You always were the noble one."

"Unlike you who wanted to destroy everything," Mavis shot back.

Ophelia shrugged. "That's the Fairy Tail way.

"Alright, what's going on? Why am I here?"

Makarov and Mavis shared a heavy look. Together, they spun the tale of the 100 hundred years Ophelia missed. From Zeref wandering Earth Land, the disappearance of the dragons, the disaster on Tenrou Island, the Grand Magic Games and the revelations fighting the Tartarus demons. By the end, they had three requests for her. Hide any information not known to the public, help save Earth Land and don't attract any attention.

"I don't think I can keep that up for long. How am I supposed to survive in this world if it's still riddled with demons and dark mages?"

"Fairy Tail will protect you. As it always has. No one must know who you are if we are going to succeed. If the situation is dire, unseal what you must," Makarov explained.

Ophelia thought it over then agreed. Once she finished, Makarov handed her a change of clothes, borrowed from Lucy.

"Clothes sure have gotten tighter and shorter than our days," Ophelia remarked.

Mavis pulled her in for a long and crushing hug after she finished dressing. Ophelia cried into her hair as she held on for dear life.

Mavis went back to Tenrou Island. Makarov gave her a tour of the guild as she thought over the new changes. To her, Makarov was a mini Yury but with a happier disposition. Before they even arrived at the guildhall, she could hear the rowdy members.

Makarov signaled for silence. Everyone looked towards the stage and stared at the unknown girl.

"My children, I am proud to say that a recent mission was a success. Thank you to Natsu, Gray, Mirajane and Wendy for accompanying me." A round of booming applause startled Ophelia.

"I would like to take the time to introduce you to an old member of the guild. She has not been back in a very, very long time. Some of the older members may have heard of her. She was one of the original members of Fairy Tail and a tremendous asset to the guild. I welcome back, Ophelia or Lia as she used to be called."

Whispers flooded the hall. Members pondered the strange appearance. Others questioned her youth. How could a person so young been in Fairy Tail 100 years ago?

"_The_ Ophelia?" Gildarts was stupefied.

Those close to him took note of his reaction. The strongest wizard of the guild was amazed at this girl?

Makarov pulled Lia off stage, into the sea of people. He introduced her to the prominent members like Laxus his grandson. Who, like Gildarts, bowed his head in respect.

When they got to Team Natsu, the resident Fire Dragon Slayer jumped out of his chair and nearly tore her arm off. Laughing it off, she shook back just as eagerly, surprising the table. Her laughs ceased when she noticed his aura and froze.

She stared into his eyes never blinking. Relaxing after a minute she let go of his hand.

"Natsu huh? Makarov you have some interesting wizards."

"Yeah, Natsu's interesting if you like flame heads," Gray said.

Natsu's hands flared up. "What'd you say stripper?"

"You heard me lizard face!"

Ice and fire filled the hall as Lia looked on in bewilderment.

"Do they always fight?" she asked the buxom blonde, Lucy.

"Every day."

Lia smiled fondly. "Reminds me of my friends."


	2. A New Member

Chapter 2. A New Member

Lia sat at a table with Team Natsu after Gray and Natsu's fight concluded.

"Here you go, Lia," Mirajane placed a beef sandwich and soda in front of her.

"So, Lia, how can you look so young but be older than Master Makarov?" Lucy asked.

"She came out of one of Zeref's books," Natsu answered for her.

"Ah! So does that mean you're a demon?!" Happy, the blue Exceed, eyes widened in wonder and fright.

"No…" She shifted uncomfortably.

"Can you turn into one like Mira?" Wendy, the youngest of the Dragon Slayers asked.

"Mira can?"

"Yeah, she's not an S-Class wizard for nothing. She uses Take-Over magic, Satan Soul."

"That's a powerful magic. Very popular back then too." Lia gave Mira a once over. Most take over mages specializing in Satan Soul had a darker personality. Not in Mira's case.

"Can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure," Gray said.

"Why did you decide to reform the guild again? From what I heard, after the Tartarus incident, you all went your separate ways. Why come back together?"

"It's simple really," Natsu started. "Everyone in Fairy Tail loves each other like family. After everything we had been through and finding some kind of peace with the situation after a year of being on our own, we got back together. We all realized we're better, stronger and happier together. If we want to stop everything going on in the world right now, we have to do it together as Nakama."

The entire guildhall had quieted at Natsu's sentimental words. When the Tenrou Island team had disappeared nine years prior, the remaining members had lost their spirit and will to fight. After the destruction of their guild for a third time they never believed they would ever be together again. That was until Natsu, Lucy and Happy hunted everyone down and convinced them to reform Fairy Tail once more.

"I'm so glad Fairy Tail has kept its spirit. Back then we would cause so much trouble for the magic council they always threatened to shut us down. But they needed us too much to ever really go on their threats," Lia fondly said.

"Sounds like Fairy Tail now!" Happy yelled.

"What kind of magic do you use?" Erza asked.

"Oh, uh, illusion." She stumbled a bit. "Mavis taught me." She finished.

"First Master taught you?"

"Of course. We are-were best friends. She was only able to teach me the basics though since I wasn't a very good student.

"Erza, I can see you're a requip mage. One of my best friends was one too."

"Oh really? Who? Maybe I know of them."

"Reiki. They called him-"

"_The Iron Man?_ You knew him?!" Erza demanded.

"Of course. We grew up together. He taught me how to fight."

Erza hopped out of her chair, pushing the table back.

"You have to show me some of his moves. Let's go to the training grounds." Erza dragged Lia out of the guildhall with everyone following to watch Erza massacre Lia.

Erza provided Lia with training armor and sword. Both were heavy and difficult to maneuver.

"I have to tell you," Lia started. "I'm not quite as proficient in swordsmanship as Reiki."

Erza nodded. "That's fine. Just fighting one of his students is an honor in itself. Requip! Robe of Yuen!" Erza donned a revealing purple kimono. She had a long polearm in her hand.

'Astounding,' Lia thought. 'She requipped so fast. I wonder how she would have fared against Reiki?'

"Don't overdo it, Ophelia," Makarov said.

Lia waved him off. She needed to see how strong the current crop of Fairy Tail wizards was. If they were up to the standards set by her and her friends long ago.

Erza started walking forward. She poised her blade near Lia's neck.

Lia knocked the blade away from her and cut across Erza's chest. A flesh wound, but more than others in the guild had managed.

Erza stepped back. She swung her polearm at Lia's head. It connected, flipping Lia over in the air. She made a quick handstand. Bending her lower body, she kicked her heels at Erza. Erza flew back a number of feet from the impact. Standing straight up, Lia lunged at the red head. Her sword met dirt. Erza from behind punched her shoulder blade and swiped at any exposed skin.

Their blades clanged in the wind. Determination set in Lia's eyes. Erza's face lit up at the prospect of finding a worthy adversary. One last hit broke Lia's sword in half. She threw away the pieces without a second thought. Lia speared Erza and they both toppled to the ground. Catching her off guard, she seized Erza's polearm and severed it too. Erza kicked Lia off her and let out a scream. Going straight for her, she rewarded her with a flurry of punches. Lia caught one her fists and slammed her knee into her midsection. Still holding on to her arm, she threw her into air then clocked Erza in the skull. The crowd hooted their approval. They hadn't seen someone go toe-to-toe with Erza for a while.

"Alright! This is awesome!" Natsu bellowed. "I'm all fired up! I wanna join in!" Natsu sucked up air. Flames danced all over his body.

"Natsu, no!" Makarov commanded.

Lia twisted to see what the commotion was. Erza took the chance to strike her in the jaw propelling her meters away from her. She fell to her knees.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" A sphered blaze came straight for Lia. She sat paralyzed on the ground.

_"Grim Rea-"She turned her head to the side to see a cosmic sized beam of white light coming towards her._

Gildarts stood in front of her. He took Natsu's attack. Barely affecting him, he knelt down to Lia.

Her eyes were dilated. Sweat poured down her face as she gripped at her necklace. Small tremors shook her body.

"Natsu, you idiot! You almost hurt Ophelia!" Makarov remained worried over her.

"I'm fine, Makarov. It's funny. Just the other day I was changing your diaper. And now you're old man." She looked towards Erza. She had requipped back into her normal attire. "You are a very good fighter Erza. Reiki would have been proud to have a wizard like you wield his magic." Erza eyes shined with pride and gratitude.

"I'm taking her back to the infirmary, old man," Gildarts said. Makarov nodded his consent. Gildarts helped Lia up and started leading her back inside.

Natsu feebly stopped them. "Hey, Lia. I'm sorry about before. I didn't realize you were afraid of fire or whatever."

Lia shook her head. "It wasn't the fire. I was simply a bit stunned. You Dragon Slayers, always surprising me." A bright smile took over her face. Natsu gave his signature grin in return.

"Natsu…" Natsu shoulders tensed. "Yes Gramps?"

"I'm putting Lia with you and the rest of Team Natsu. She'll need you guys to help her. This is a new world for her. 100 hundred years is a lot of change."

Natsu fist pounded the air. "Alright! Now we're definitely the strongest team in Fairy Tail."

That night, Makarov and Gildarts conversed by the bar.

"There's been talk of a new dark guild causing trouble in Fiore. With them and all the demons running rampant, it can't get any worse," Gildarts bet.

Makarov swallowed his drink in one gulp. "I doubt that."

* * *

If you're wondering about Lia's power level I would say she's about Cana's or Levy's level. Really, anymore time fighting Erza and she would have been wiped out lol. But she's got the fighting skills to stay strong for a while.

Until next time! :)


	3. The New Enemy

Okay so I've decided I'll post a new chapter every time I write one. I finished chapter 10 today so. I probably won't write chapter 11 tomorrow because I'll be busy with homework and volunteering. Anyways, the italics indicate a flashback. Not every chapter will have one but the next few will. Enjoy!

I do not own anything except what you do not recognize.

* * *

Chapter 3. The New Enemy

Lia woke up in the infirmary. Wendy said she over exerted herself fighting Erza the day before. If the fight went on any longer, she would have fainted from low magic energy. Another change of clothes was left by her bedside. When she got down to the guildhall, she was reminded at how different the world was. Everything seemed lighter and brighter and carefree. Before she was in an age plagued by war and destruction. Now she was in a world on the brink of another one-sided annihilation.

Would humanity survive?

"Good morning, Lia! Are you feeling better?" Lucy bounced up to Lia with Happy in her arms.

"Good morning Lucy, Happy. Yes, I'm fine. I feel much better, thanks."

"That's good. Master Makarov wanted me to take you shopping for new clothes today. We can go after breakfast if you want."

"That would be great Lucy, why don't we go now? We can get breakfast on the way there."

Lucy and Lia went store to store. By noon, they had arms full of bags. They stopped at an outdoor bistro to eat lunch.

"This is so nice. Usually I have food flying in my face if I have lunch with Natsu and Happy. Those two make me pay for it all too!"

Lia shoved a cake in her mouth. They shared a plate of tiny pastries.

"That's the trouble with having too many male friends," Lia said.

"You're telling me! It's like everyone in that guild has no manners."

Lia chuckled at Lucy's irritated expression. The bubbly blonde was thoroughly entertaining. They shared a love of cute clothes, books and a passion for magic.

"Lucy, you never told me, what kind of mage are you?"

Lucy reached for her belt, pulling off a set of gold and silver keys. "I'm a celestial spirit mage. I have all the zodiac keys."

"That's nice. But… I can sense a stronger magical presence from you. No ordinary celestial wizard, all gold keys or not would give that off."

Lucy fingers her keys. A deep sadness shadowed her face. She showed Lia a gold pendent with two blue waves.

"This is all that's left of Aquarius's key. When we fought the Tartarus guild two years ago, I lost her forever. I summoned as many spirits as I could but it wasn't enough. They were too strong for me. Everyone else was trapped. I was all alone. For the longest time, I was one of the weakest members of the guild. I constantly had to be saved by Natsu or Erza or Gray. Even Happy! But, that time, it was all up to me. When I summoned Aquarius, I was almost out of magic energy. She protected me. But even she couldn't go up against them. She told me the only way to win was to break her key. That would summon the Celestial Spirit King. I couldn't do it. Even though Aquarius hated me, I still loved her. I couldn't give up one of my friends.

Tears trickled from Lucy's eyes. She wiped them away with a heavy sigh.

"Aquarius convinced me. Deep down, even though she was a bitch to me, even though many times she washed me away with her attacks, I knew she cared. When the Spirit King saw how distraught I was about losing her, he granted me her water magic. I'm thankful he did. Now I'm strong enough to protect my friends. And, in a way, I still have Aquarius with me. I know she's happy, not being summoned by me anymore. The others tell me she secretly misses me though. I hope one day I can get to see her again," Lucy finished.

Lia held Lucy's hand from across the table.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy. I know what's it's like to lose a friend. You are an incredibly strong girl. I'm sure Aquarius was proud to have you as a master."

Lucy sniffed. "Thanks Lia. I-"

A deafening boom from outside cut her off. Townspeople were running in every direction. Smoke blocked the perpetrator from view.

Leaving the money for their meal the two wizards ran to see the commotion.

A man with a body covered in tattoos and a tattered robe stood among the chaos. He wielded a staff with a purple stone a top. It let out blasts of magic, causing damage to the surrounding buildings. An army of goons made a tight circle around them.

"Open, gate of the lion, Leo!"

Out popped a spikey haired man dressed in a suit and glasses.

"Hey, Lucy. What's up?" Leo, the leader of the zodiac asked.

Lucy pointed to the goons.

"Take care of them. They're trashing Magnolia."

Leo adjusted his glasses.

"No problem Princess."

Leo raised his hands light engulfed him. Spinning around, he targeted the beam at the goons.

"Come on. Let's take the guy with the staff."

Lucy ran forward creating a water whip. It snapped at the tattooed man. Lucy and Lia fought the man for a while. He put up barriers with his staff, making it difficult to get a hit in. Leo jumped in to lend a hand after he was done taking out the lackeys.

Leo made a distraction while Lia spun in the air and kicked the staff out of his grasp. Leo and Lucy sent a combo attack, defeating him.

"If you think this is the end, you're sadly mistaken. Cain's Genesis will destroy Fairy Tail for interfering," the man spat.

Lia dug her heel into his chest.

"Who's Cain's Genesis?" Lucy demanded.

"Not, talking," he sneered.

"I'm sure our friend Erza would love to hear that," Lucy smirked.

The tattooed man, whose name was Leppard, was thrown around the guildhall. Erza had on her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She made her blades dance around his body, missing him by a fraction of a centimeter.

"Now, you are going to tell me everything about this Cain's Genesis guild or I'm going to shove every single one of my swords through your body. One by one until you bleed out," Erza threatened.

Leppard shrugged his shoulders. "Do it then. A wimpy fairy like you could never kill me. I ain't no snitch."

Erza smacked him with her sword. He wet himself.

"You will tell us everything you know. And you will deliver a message to your guild. That a fairy was able to make you spill everything and Fairy Tail is not the guild to piss off."

* * *

Well we've got a new villain. I wonder how they'll fare against our beloved guild?

R&amp;R! Until next time :)


	4. Little Girl Lost

Hi guys! I just want to take this time to thank everyone who has read The Other One so far and thank you to a guest reviewer Vroum2003 for taking a lot of interest in it to. Another flashback at the beginning. I wouldn't recommend skipping the flashbacks either because as the story goes along they will make more sense as more things are revealed and you can kinda piece together clues along the way. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4. Little Girl Lost

_Lia moved carefully over the rocks and bushes. She tried to get closer to the patch of pink flowers. Her mother had vases full of them in the house. Lately they had been harder to find. She wanted to pick some to make her Mama smile again. She had been sad ever since she last spoke to her Papa. The two never got along anymore. Everyone said Lia's parents never got along but she never believed them. Her Papa always brought her Mama her favorite chocolates. Though they were not married anymore, they remained on speaking terms for the children's sake._

_Lia plucked the flowers out the ground and put them in her satchel._

_"What do we have here?"_

_Lia looked up to see herself surrounded by bandits. She fell back in surprise, accidentally crushing her mother's flowers._

_"Um…" she whispered._

_"Is the poor girl all alone in the big bad forest? Why boys, we should help, shouldn't we?" The leader smiled, showing off a row of yellowed and decayed teeth._

_"No, I'm fine. I just…" she trailed off noticing one the men handling a large spiked club._

_"Take her," the leader said._

_One of the men from behind picked up by her hair. She thrashed around, clutching onto her scalp._

_"Hey watch it Princess. Wouldn't want your pretty hair to get ripped out," the man holding her leered at her._

_She let out a piercing scream. The bandit leader backhanded her across her face._

_"Shut-up you little pest!"_

_She wailed louder. He went to strike her again but a hand her caught his wrist._

_He whimpered. The man holding his wrist tightened his hold, crushing the bones underneath._

_"What do you think you're doing to this little girl?" the man asked._

_"I-I," the leader blubbered._

_"Let her go," the man commanded._

_"Forget it," the man holding Lia said. "Boss are you gonna let this guy bully us like-" He stopped seeing the man's expression and paled._

_Immediately he dropped Lia. She laid face down on the dirt. Flashes of light and painful screams indicated a fight. She didn't dare look up until all was silent._

_The man picked her up and brushed away her hair._

_"You know you're supposed to stay by my side at all times," he said._

_Lia contained her tears._

_"I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to get the flowers for Mama," she held up the ruined bouquet. The man softly patted her head._

"Alright brats listen up. I'm splitting people into four teams. Each team will search the woods surrounding Magnolia in a different direction for any sign of Cain's Genesis. From what that fool Leppard told us yesterday, they should be within 20 miles of here. If you find nothing in the woods, go towards the other towns nearby and search there," Makarov explained.

The members of Fairy Tail were ready for another battle. No one caused trouble in their town and got away with it.

"Not everyone will be going. We need some to stay here to guard Magnolia and the guild in case anyone of the dark guild tries to attack. The teams are as followed, Team North is Natsu, Lucy and Romeo. Team South is Gajeel, Juvia and Lisanna. Team East is Cana, Elfman and Laki. And finally, Team West is Gray, Lia and Wendy. Gather what you need and leave as soon as possible," Makarov concluded.

Juvia burst out in tears. "Oh, no! This is terrible. I'm not with my darling Gray."

Levy patted her shoulder. "If it makes you feel better I'm kinda mad I wasn't put on yours and Gajeel's team."

"We should see if Master will change the teams," Juvia said.

Levy shook her head. "I don't think he will. Sorry, Juvia."

Team West walked quietly through the woods. Lia didn't particularly like being in there since she had a small fear of forests or woods. She kept close to Gray or Wendy, not wanting to get lost.

They had been walking a few hours and had not found anything. They set up camp when the sun started to set.

"I wonder how the others are doing?" Wendy said.

"Probably not any better than us. I'm telling ya, I bet Cain's Genesis split after hearing about us beating up Leppard. We're wasting our time out here." Gray chucked more wood into the campfire.

"Maybe you're right, but we should be cautious with everything that's been going on lately," Wendy replied.

Lia finished cooking the fish they had caught earlier and served it.

"Why is it so black?" Wendy questioned.

Carla, the white exceed agreed. "Yes it barely seems edible. Can you even cook child?"

Lia scowled at the Carla. "No one else volunteered. Plus I told you I was bad at cooking."

"Didn't think you were this bad," Wendy mumbled.

Gray munched on his fried fish. "Say, Lia?"

"Yes, Gray?"

"You must have run into a lot of demons back then. I mean before you were put into the book."

"Uh huh?" Lia looked at him expectantly.

"Did you ever run into Deliora?"

Lia raised her eyebrows. "Deliora? That's one of the stronger demons."

"So you did?" Gray asked.

"Yes, I did. If I remember correctly, Mavis and I tried to stop it from destroying a town. Unfortunately another one of Zeref's demons got in the way before we could kill him."

Gray nodded.

"Why Gray? Did something happen with Deliora?"

Gray's face steeled. "Deliora killed my entire village. And my parents."

Lia stilled. Wendy and Carla watched as Gray sat close to the fire, his face illuminated by flames.

"I have Juvia now. And everyone else I've met since then. Juvia keeps my mind off those types of things for the most part but…

"I lost everything because of that monster. And then, when I thought I was finally going to start over with Ur, my mentor, she was taken away be Deliora too. Years ago, there were only a few of Zeref's creations left but now they're all over the place again. The fact that the world has to deal with all of this crap again gets me pissed off. So let me ask you this, did you ever run into that devil's spawn Zeref?"

Lia closed her eyes tightly and let out a sigh.

"Yes. I did. Pretty much everyone in the guild back then had some sort of run in with him. But, Gray uh… you shouldn't… if you ever run into him again don't-"

Gray cut her off. "Have you ever lost someone Lia? Have you ever been so afraid and wanted to help but you were too weak to do anything?"

Lia looked up at the stars. She played with her necklace. It was a small black, heart shaped stone. Underneath it on a longer chain was a small key pendent.

Wendy interrupted. "That's a pretty necklace. Where did you get it?"

Lia smiled at the stars. She could tell what Wendy was doing and silently thanked her for it.

"My brother gave it to me. Before he… before I lost him."

"Oh… we should go to sleep now," Wendy said.

They crawled into their sleeping bags. Gray blew out the fire.

With her eyes closed, Lia said, "My entire family was massacred. Most of them were all dead before I got back to our village."

Gray shifted to look in her direction. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Good night."

Lia was wide-awake an hour after everyone else had fallen asleep. The sounds kept her up. She would close her eyes and feel rough arms wrapped around her. She jumped when she felt a tiny hand against her shoulder.

"Ah!"

"Shh… it's only me," Wendy was in a seated position. She watched as Lia's face relaxed.

"Can't sleep?" Lia nodded.

Wendy moved closer to the older girl and cuddled up to her. Lia felt reassured that nothing would happen to her if she had others with her.

Wendy was ripped from her grasp.

Gray, Lia and Carla shot up from their sleeping positions. Two dark wizards were holding Wendy.

"Looks like we've found some fairies men. And look, such a pretty one to take back to the guild," A tall man with an Afro jumped out from behind a wall of wizards.

"Cain's Genesis. I bet," Gray said. Lia nodded in agreement.

"Now listen here, you let that girl go, this instant," Carla demanded. She flew up to the Afro man and poked his nose. He swatted her away. Carla landed next to the campfire.

"That's it. Ice make: sword!" Gray shouted. Lia punched her way through the crowd of dark wizards trying to get to Wendy. The Afro man had her over his shoulder and was running deeper into the woods. Gray launched an ice make cannon at them creating a path for Lia to follow. "You get Wendy! I'll handle these guys."

Lia chased the two, speeding through the trees. Laughter filled the night sky. The man sent purple flames her way but she dodged them, ducking behind some trees. Coming up to a clearing, the man set Wendy on the floor. He crouched down, the ground started opening up underneath them. The man put his arms around Wendy dragging her along with him as he sank deeper into the earth. "Wendy, try using a Dragon's Roar. Point it at the ground. It might bring you out," Lia suggested.

Wendy did as she was instructed but it failed. She flailed her arms trying to grip onto anything. Lia flopped down to her belly near the hole and grabbed onto Wendy's arm. She tried to pull her out but she was in too far.

"Don't let me go Lia!" Wendy cried.

Lia gripped harder. "I'm not. Gray! Gray!" She screamed.

Lia tried yanking her out again but she slid further and further into the ground. Wendy wailed. "I'm scared, Lia."

"Don't be Wendy. You'll be fine. Gray! We need your help!" She yelled his name until he came crashing through the trees.

"Help me pull her up! She's almost gone." Gray grabbed onto Wendy's other hand. Together they tugged as hard as they could. Wendy slipped further in. Her screams died out as the dirt swallowed her face. Her hands were the only things visible.

"Wendy!" The duo shouted.

Her hands slipped out.

"Wendy!" Lia screamed.

"Wendy!" Lia slammed her fist onto the spot where Wendy and that man had disappeared. She frustratingly yanked at her hair.

"How did he do that?" Gray questioned.

Lia cursed. "He must have been an Earth mage. He's probably using it to travel with Wendy back to his guild."

"Damn it! Shit. What do we do now? We can't track them."

Lia sighed and got off the ground. "I guess we go back to the guild. Makarov will want to know about this."

"They just started a war," Gray stated.

* * *

Welp. Poor Wendy. We'll see what happens to her in the next chapter. Until next time :)


	5. Taken

Hello again. I would like to take the time to thank April Marciano and Wacko12 for favoriting this story.

Anyways on with the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 5. Taken

_The two weary travelers finally arrived to the next city, Magnolia. After a long journey from Hargeon, they were glad to find a place to spend the night without having to sleep on bedrock or grass. Upon coming to the local inn however, they found that it had no more rooms available. Dejected, they roamed the city until they came to an open area with dozens of Rainbow Sakura trees. Setting their bags down, they lied under one of the trees and drifted off to sleep. They woke after being prodded by something._

_Opening their eyes, they saw a tiny girl with ridiculously long hair standing above them. She flashed a friendly smile._

"_Hello! I'm Mavis. Pardon me for waking you."_

_The two lying down blinked at her._

"_What do you want?" The man asked._

_One of the hairs on her head twitched. Moving closer she said, "Oh, I felt bad leaving you out here. We get many travelers through here so the inn is always full. You two look like you're in horrible shape."_

_The two strangers had been traveling for a month. Dirt and grim was baked onto their skin and clothes. They carried many bags and often traveled in a wagon if they could find someone to drive them. They did not use most of their money, not knowing how long they would be traveling. The girl looked the worse. A permanent frown etched her face. Her eyes were dull, devoid of emotion or any sign of life. The man kept close to her fearing for her reactions._

_Mavis struggled to contain her tears seeing such sad expressions. Straightening up she extended a hand toward the girl that looked about her age. With hesitation, the girl accepted the hand._

"_You can stay at Fairy Tail," Mavis proclaimed._

"_Fairy Tail?" The man questioned, getting up._

_Mavis nodded." It's my guild. I'm the master."_

_The man scoffed. "You look too young to be a guild master, little girl."_

_Mavis's smile did not waver. "Yes, but I'm quite suited for the role. Out of everyone else, I'm the most powerful." Mavis grabbed the girl's hand. "I can tell you two are wizards and I can tell you're strong too." Mavis bore into the girl's eyes. "Oh, how rude of me. I don't even know your names."_

_Mavis looked expectantly at her._

"_I'm… I'm Ophelia." The man looked startled. "And this is Reiki." Reiki gave a nod of hello._

_Mavis clapped her hands together. "You'll join then?" She squealed seeing a slight nod of the head from Ophelia. Grabbing some of their bags, she started down the road toward Fairy Tail._

"_Come on Lia! You can share my room with Zera and me. Reiki, you'll have to share with the guys," Mavis shouted over her shoulder._

_The corner of Lia's mouth tugged upward._

Gray and Lia burst through the doors of Fairy Tail yelling, "Wendy was taken!"

Natsu's hands flared up. "So they've taken another of my Nakama huh? They don't who they're messing with."

Lia surveyed the room. Everyone looked ready to spill blood. "Another one?"

Lucy came up to them. "Yeah, they took Lisanna, Romeo and Laki too. We've been waiting for you two to get back before Master decides what we're gonna do."

"How could they take my little sis like that? That's not a man! I'll beat their asses cause I'm a man!" Elman declared. A glass broke in Mirajane's hand. "If they lay a hand on her I'll kill every one of them! I'm not letting anyone else hurt Lisanna again." The rest of guild agreed with her statement, although they sported frightened expressions at her sudden outburst.

The local mailman arrived then. "Package for Fairy Tail. It's urgent." He handed the box to Laxus.

Laxus tore open the box. He picked up a communication lacrima. "Why the hell would someone send us one of those?" Cana asked chugging down a barrel of alcohol.

The Lacrima lit up and a face appeared. Leppard gave a toothy grin. "Hey Fairies, long time no see."

"It's that Leopard guy," Natsu said.

Leppard rolled his eyes. "It's Leppard. "

Erza moved Natsu out of the way. "No one cares. Tell us where you took our friends."

Leppard snickered. "Not happening gorgeous. But I can show them to you if you want. I've been taking special care of them."

The picture got shaky as he walked with the lacrima. Placing it in front of a low-lit room, the guild gasped when they saw their comrades.

Chained up to the walls were Lisanna, Romeo, Laki and Wendy. Blood caked their bodies and their clothes were in tatters. Their skin was swollen with bruises and wounds.

"What did you do to my son you monster?!" Macao was livid. Romeo looked the worse out of the four.

Leppard pointed to Romeo. "It's my specialty. This little troublemaker kept trying to fight me. I only… subdued him. As for the others, the white haired chick was quite the screamer. It made me want to punish her over and over again because me it made me feel so _good._" He gave a sadistic smirk. Elfman let out a roar and slammed a table into a wall.

"Four eyes was fun too. Nice tits on her. But my favorite was the sweet little dragon slayer." He touched Wendy's chin and placed a kiss on her lips. "I had a lot of fun with her. Who knew a kid like her could be so entertaining."

"You bastard! Get your hands off of her!" Natsu demanded.

"Yeah you pervert. Wait until we get our hands on you. You punks messed with the wrong guild," Lucy warned.

"How could you do that to a little girl?! What kind of man are you?" Erza hissed.

"He's not a man, just a filthy snake. You Genesis freaks want to torture our friends and think you'll get away with it? Not by a long shot. No one that has got in our way has ever got out without a serious beating. "Gray added.

"You can spout all that nonsense all you want Fairies but no one has ever beaten Cain's Genesis."

"And no one has ever beaten Fairy Tail. You forget we're the strongest guild in Fiore that has taken on the likes of demons and dragons. You're just insects that we have to step on to protect our guild." Makarov lifted the lacrima up and glared at Leppard.

"Whatever old man. Say goodbye to your friends Fairies. It'll be your last."

"Stay strong Lisanna! I know you can hear me. Don't worry we're coming to get you sis. Have faith in us guys. We'll make them pay for hurting you," Mirajane yelled.

Lia took the lacrima from Makarov. "You think you're tough stuff huh? You think you're powerful because you torture little kids and women? That just shows how weak and pathetic you are. You're nothing but a wimpy man making up for the fact that he couldn't beat a couple of girls. You're a spineless, weak and tiny little pedophile."

Leppard's face turned red. "Listen you bit-"

"No you listen. When we find you and trust me, we will. I'll string you up and turn your body inside out. Cause that's _my_ specialty." She smashed the lacrima onto the ground and stomped on the pieces.

"Were you able to trace the signal Freed?" Makarov asked.

Freed nodded, handing him a slip of paper. "Here is the coordinates sir."

Makarov passed it along to Erza. "Team Natsu I'm sending you to retrieve the others. Get in and get out. Avoid confrontation with them. We don't know how many members they have or how powerful they are."

"No one could take us on gramps. We're the strongest team," Natsu bragged.

"That may be brat, but then how come you couldn't take on only a few of their men and allow Romeo to be taken?" Natsu wilted at his words.

"We understand master. We won't let you down," Erza said.

"Good. Get going," Makarov said.

Team Natsu ran out of the guild. Their jaws set in determination as they made their way to Cain's Genesis headquarters.

* * *

Just a few more chapters until this arc is done!. I'm almost done writing the next arc, I'm on chapter 14. The reason I'm not posting them all at once is because just incase I fall behind I can still have chapters to post for you guys. Anyways, see you next time. R&amp;R


	6. The Strongest Team

I wasn't even going to post this chapter until the weekend but I've gotten some responses to this story since posting yesterday. I would to take the time to thank the truth that killed all for favoriting The Other One and favoriting me aswell. I'm also thanking .94 for favoriting the story and following. :)

Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 6. The Strongest Team

Team Natsu stood up in the trees, scouting the area. A dozen members of Cain's Genesis were patrolling the perimeter of the headquarters. There were two on top of the building next to a trap door to the inside.

"We should just bust in there right now," Natsu said.

"No Natsu. You heard master. We have to go in as quietly as possible," Lucy said.

"We should have left him cause we all know he can't do anything but destroy and cause a scene," Gray jeered.

"Enough," Erza growled before the two started fighting again. "Carla and Happy will distract the two on top, and then Lucy will take them out. Lia and I will handle the ones on the ground. You two get up there once Lucy opens the trap door and search the rooms below but don't make any noise. Got it?" She asked. They nodded and got into position.

Happy and Carla flew up to top where the lookouts were and flapped their wings in their faces. Lucy used her water whip to silence them before they alerted the guards below. The swordsman duo quickly unsheathed their weapons and went to work. In a matter of minutes, they successfully disarmed all twelve guards. The exceeds flew them to the others and they landed inside with a soft thud. Natsu and Gray shook their heads signaling no enemies in the hallway or surrounding rooms. Keeping a tight formation, the team wandered the vast halls of the building. Natsu tried sniffing for their fellow guild members but to avail. Their scent was all around the building, making it hard to pinpoint their location.

Up ahead they spotted a familiar face.

"What the-"Lucy wrapped her fleuve d'etoiles whip around Leppard's mouth.

"Look what we found here guys," the Celestial mage smirked.

The group crowded around Leppard with sick grins.

Natsu pulled the whip from his mouth and grabbed his shirt lifting him in the air. "Where's our friends?"

"How'd you get in here?" Leppard spat.

"You're not as strong as you guys think," Gray answered.

"I asked you a question, where's our friends?" Natsu repeated.

Leppard wiggled out of his grasp, falling to the ground.

"We don't have time for this. They're going to notice the guards outside were taken out soon," Erza, pointed out.

Lia stepped onto Leppard's throat getting a groan of pain.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll get it out of him. Happy you stay here with me, you'll be able to find them quicker when I get the information," Lia said.

The group looked hesitant to leave Lia alone with him but was convinced once they received a fierce glare from her. "Before you leave Gray, put a pair of hand cuffs on him."

Once they were out of sight, Lia dragged Leppard into an empty room. She told Happy to stay outside and keep watch. She tied him to a bedpost with the cuffs still on.

"Like you could ever get anything out of me again you stupid bit-" Lia knocked the words out of his mouth along with a spatter of blood. She drove her knee into his jaw then punched it away from her. When she kicked him in the eye, he bowed his head down. She rammed her foot into the back of his neck almost breaking it.

Continuing the vicious beating she said, "When I was little I believed you could solve any problem without violence. I soon learned though, that the world wasn't that easy to deal with." A tooth popped out of Leppard's mouth and he chocked at the impact of her fists.

"Don't worry I won't kill you. You're not worth the effort. As Makarov said you're just an insect. You see now how small and insignificant you are? You see how worthless you are? Remember this moment every time you go to bed and you even think about hurting another person. You brought pain to my guild mates asshole," Lia lifted his bloodied and bruised face to eye level. His lips were ripped and blood dripped from them in a steady stream. One of his eyes was swollen shut.

"Ready to talk now?"

Happy flew at max speed to the others.

"I know where they are you guys!" He yelled.

"Good. Is Lia close behind?" Erza asked.

Happy shook his head no. "She said she'll be there by the time we're ready to leave. Come on it's this way," Happy led them to the ground floor. Natsu kicked the door down. They saw none of their guild mates inside. The shackles on the walls were empty. Dried blood covered the surfaces and the room had a strong smell of urine.

"Maybe they moved them?" Lucy suggested.

"Or maybe we got rid of them before you got here hehe." The group swung around to see that Cain's Genesis surrounded them. They did not wait before engaging in a fight with the dark guild.

Lia slipped off her bloodied gloves and put them inside her pockets. Before leaving the room she said, "Maybe we can do this again sometime?" She tied her stained jacket around her waist then grabbed onto the walls as the building shook. Hearing the attacks of her teammates, she let out a sigh. "They're not supposed to fight them. What happened to the plan? Mavis if only you were here. You would have come up with something foolproof," she muttered while sprinting down the halls.

Coming upon the guildhall, she ducked as an earth spell nearly decapitated her.

Banishing her sword, she charged in with her teammates. A long battle ensued with Team Natsu dominating for the most part. The five of them worked fluidly to take on Cain's Genesis with relative ease. _How could they be this weak and yet have caused so much trouble across Fiore?_ Lia thought.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Ice-make: Lance!"

"Water Slicer!"

Erza and Lia had their backs against each other as they threw their swords at their opponents.

"This doesn't feel right," Lia mumbled.

"What was that?" Erza asked.

"Nothing. But we should get out of here. The others are clearly not here."

"You're right. Guys! Let's go!" Erza urged.

All the guildhall doors slammed shut.

"Leaving so soon?" The leader of Cain's Genesis sat before them on an elevated throne. Dressed in a long cloak and heavy black boots he let out a chuckle.

"The party just started! Stay, have fun," one of the members on his right said.

Lia and Gray recognized him as the Afro person that took Wendy. He blew a large smoke ring at towards Team Natsu from his cigar.

"How dare you taunt us? Where did you put our friends?" Erza demanded pointing her sword at them.

Natsu nodded over to a woman standing on the other side of the leader. "Isn't that the lady that took Romeo?"

"Yeah. That's her," Lucy confirmed. She tightened her hold on her whip.

"We can assume that the other two besides the Afro guy also took Lisanna and Laki," Lia observed.

"Well what are we yapping our gums for? Let's teach them a lesson," Gray said.

Rushing forward, Team Natsu all attacked the four kidnappers and the leader at the same time. They were blown back by the woman's gale force winds.

"Uh oh, did I hurt them?" She taunted.

Natsu jumped up. "Like that could hurt us!" He was again pushed back by her attack when he went in for a punch.

"Wizards of your level could never match up to us," the leader said.

"I'm Cain," he informed. "My children and I were blessed by the power of Lord Zeref. No one could stand in our way and tell the tale. I spent many years studying the teachings of the Killing Mage and can confidently say that one day I will master his magic and reclaim the world in his name." Lia cocked an eyebrow.

"Raise my slaves. Finish the job. I grant you my power," Cain said pointing his staff at the fallen dark mages. They gradually got up with zombie like movements.

"Ruler's Magic!" Lia observed.

Overwhelmed by the number of opponents Team Natsu struggled to keep up. Every time one of the dark guild members went down, they got back up moments later.

"They won't stay down," the Afro man said. "Scotch, deliver the punch."

The man the right of him lifted his fist. Team Natsu writhed in pain on floor dropping their spells and weapons. The pressure on their lungs made it hard to breathe and it felt as if something was squeezing their heart. Coughing up blood, they laid on the ground whimpering.

"Stop. We don't want them dead just yet," Cain commanded. The pain lifted and they shakily got to their feet. The four kidnappers beat them down to the ground again. They took beating after beating, the four never letting up.

"I call them the Four Gods of Genesis. More powerful than even the Four Gods of Ishgar As well as some of the legendary Seven Deadly. You are only feeling a fraction of their power. Why would they use even half their strength on pests like you?" Cain explained.

"Excuse… me?" Lia asked weakly.

"My friends…" she continued. "...Reiki, Yury and Warrod should not even be spoken of from the likes of you." The lone female among the Four Gods of Genesis ground Lia's face into the floor with her foot.

"What was that Fairy?" Cain inquired. "Let her speak!"

The woman lifted Lia's head up. "The Seven Deadly could take all of you down without lifting a finger. You're lucky they're not around anymore."

"You think you know anything of real power little Fairy?" Cain sputtered.

"I know more than my fair share. Maybe next time you'll experience the power of the _true_ Four Gods. Now Lucy!"

A large tidal wave erupted out of nowhere washing away Cain's Genesis. Team Natsu bolted out the guild before they could retaliate.

Hours later Team Natsu had arrived back to Fairy Tail and was nursing their wounds and pride.

"I can't believe they beat us," Gray said.

"Oh my beloved, you're still strong to me," Juvia said applying ointment to his face.

"Thanks Juv," Juvia blushed so hard her entire body turned red.

"Oh my Gray, you know not to get too cuddly with her. She can't take the excitement," Mirajane pressed her hands against Juvia'a cheeks.

Gray sent her a sour look. "I didn't even do anything to her this time." Mirajane totted.

"More packages for Fairy Tail. One is a really big one," the mailman set them by the door then left.

Elfman opened the bigger one and let out a yell of glee. "Baby sister!" Elfman carefully hugged Lisanna's body to his not wanting to injure her any further. Mirajane softly cried while she stroked her sister's hair.

Gildarts helped Laki out of the crate while Macao wailed at seeing his son. Lucy lifted Wendy out and checked on her wounds.

"Why would they send them over?" Erza questioned.

"Don't know. I'll check the other box." Natsu ripped open the box. A ticking bomb was cradled in his arms. The room froze in shock.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted.

"Aye sir!"

Happy grabbed Natsu and they flew over the water behind Fairy Tail. Letting him go, Happy flew away from Natsu before the bomb went off. Natsu consumed the flames before they hit the guild.

"Those cowards!" Cana slurred.

Lucy picked off a note that was tapped to the inside of Wendy's shirt.

"Hey guys," she called the attention the guild.

"Dear Fairies, we'll be seeing each other again soon. Any day now, the world will be rid of you pests and your precious city along with. See you then," Levy read over Lucy's shoulder.

"What do we do now master?" Mirajane asked.

Makarov chugged down a beer then wiped his mouth. "We get ready for war my children."

* * *

Well the next chapter won't be war exactly, mainly information based and then a small taste of war ;)


	7. The Seven Deadly

Sup my people? Back at you again with another chapter. I'd liked to thank MeliaAntiqua for following The Other One.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 7. The Seven Deadly

A few days later Fairy Tail was preparing themselves for the showdown with Cain's Genesis. They spent the previous days evacuating the city to neighboring ones until the battle was over and the dark guild was defeated. They were waiting for Master Makarov to devise a strategic plan of defense and offense. Thanks to Lia, they were able to figure out the best approach after she finished torturing Leppard. He may have not given them the whereabouts of the members that were taken but he did confess the powers of the Four Gods of Genesis. The Afro man, Butch, used purple flare and earth magic. Glitch was able to teleport like Doranbolt and used lightning magic. Witch, the woman, was a master of wind and light magic. And Scotch, the leader, used victim magic; a powerful magic that attacked the targets pain sensors. Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Wendy voiced that it was a similar sensation to having their second origins released. He would be the most difficult to fight.

Except for Cain. Rumors around Fiore said he was as powerful as Master Hades was if not more so. Leppard wouldn't give up any information on him except that he was fixated on black magic and everything to do with it. He studied ancient times and all those involved in the war that broke out more than 400 hundred years prior. His only goals were to one day become as strong as Zeref and bring the world back to the darkness that once consumed it.

"Hades was already difficult to deal with. With Cain, we did not get to see much of his power. I'm worried we might be overwhelmed by their strength once again," Erza confessed.

"Yeah and what was up with the Seven Deadly Lia and him were talking about?" Lucy wondered.

"I've heard of them before but I have to say I don't know anything about them except they were really powerful wizards that lived a long time ago," Cana admitted.

"Maybe they're still around and can help us whip Cain's Genesis asses," Elfman said.

"The Seven Deadly can't help us," Lia said walking up with her arms folded over her chest.

"They lived over 400 hundred years ago during ancient times. They were the top seven most powerful wizards living then. Don't they read their adventures to kids nowadays for bedtime stories?"

"Yeah they do. My mom would read them to me all the time," Lucy said.

"Are they really strong like the Wizard Saints?" Wendy asked.

"Yes, but unlike the Saints The Seven Deadly of the Ancient World, as they're called today, were ranked by sheer power, ability and strength and weren't just handed their titles. It was an unbiased list that included dark mages. And unsurprisingly Zeref was at the top of the ranks," Lia explained.

"Zeref? They let him on?" Natsu fumed.

"Well it was an unbiased list like I said," Lia answered.

"Who else was on it?" Lucy questioned.

"Well from what I can remember the other six opposed Zeref and fought against him and all of his demons. One was a dragon slayer that almost succeeded in killing Acnologia."

"Whoa! Not even Gildarts was able to lay a scratch on him," Wendy said amazed.

"Where is Gildarts anyway? I haven't seen him around?" Lia asked

"He went on another quest while you guys were at Cain's Genesis headquarters. He said he'll be back in a few weeks this time," Mirajane answered from the bar.

"If he was here we wouldn't even have to try against those clowns," Gray said.

"He is the strongest in the guild. Nobody could take him on," Natsu agreed.

"I wonder if the Four Gods of Ishgar would be willing to help us out with them," Lucy said.

"I doubt it. They haven't interfered in any fights for 20 years. Two of them are as old as the fourth you guys met, Warrod," Mirajane said.

"He did help us break out Lia out of the book. And we did help him with the Sun Village so maybe he would be willing," Gray said.

"He said himself, he only uses support magic. He wouldn't be able to do anything against them," Natsu argued.

Lia shook her head in disagreement. "I wouldn't doubt his power if I were you. He lied to you when he said he had no offensive powers. It's true that he may have lost most of his magic ability over the years but in his prime, he was one of the most powerful wizards on Earth-Land. And I'm sure if he really tried, he could tear any one of us apart and not even break a sweat."

The group stayed wide-eyed at her explanation. "Is he really that powerful?" Pantherlily asked.

"You guys haven't witnessed the true powers of the Four Gods. I can't vouch for the third but Warrod, Yury and Reiki were some of the strongest back in the day. Along with Pretch, Mavis and I, we were the strongest wizards Fairy Tail had to offer. Team Natsu may now be considered the strongest team but my friends and I were the original. It's just sad that we are no more. 100 hundred years sure have taken a toll on us. Mavis is dead, Pretch turned to the dark side and is also dead, and the others are old as hell. I'm the only one still in her prime and separated from everyone," Lia looked out at the current members of her precious guild. The guild she nurtured with her most treasured friends. She grew misty eyed at the thought of missing out of the evolution of the guild.

"I can sympathize with all of you. Some of you were left behind while everyone else was trapped on Tenrou Island. You missed seven years while your guild mates suffered and tried to survive without you. I can't imagine all the little important details I missed while in that wretched book. Like how a cute little goober turned into a wrinkly old man," Lia winked at Makarov. "I wonder how Yury must feel. He certainly passed on his dominant traits."

"What?! Master is related to one of the Four Gods?!" Lisanna shrieked.

Lia smirked. "Of course. His father, Yury, is the second Wizard Saint."

"Wow," the guild chorused.

"No wonder he's such a man!" Elfman complimented.

"Enough of this! Ophelia you're embarrassing me," Makarov whined.

The guild chuckled at his pleadings for her not to tell the stories of his terrible twos.

"That's Aunt Ophelia to you Maky," Lia pinched his cheeks. He swatted her away while the guild howled in laughter.

"No but really, I have devised the teams that will be fighting Cain's Genesis," Makarov said. The guild immediately sobered.

"Erza, Lucy and Lia will take on Witch. Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe will handle Glitch."

"Is it really a good idea to fight lightning with lightning?" Cana wondered.

"Don't underestimate us and especially Laxus," Freed said.

"Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy will fight Butch," Makarov continued.

"All three of the dragon slayers? That might be over kill. Plus Wendy is still injured," Mirajane worried.

Wendy straightened her back. Bandages still covered her body. "I can fight! It'll be like that time in Edolas."

"You got that right short stuff. He's no match for the dragon slayers," Gajeel boasted.

"Mirajane, Gray and Juvia will take out Scotch."

"I'm finally with my darling Gray!" Juvia cuddled up to Gray. He halfheartedly tried to push her off while fighting a soft blush.

"Lisanna, Elfman, Cana and Levy will finally shut that idiot Leppard up since I'm sure he will be joining in.

"As guild master I will handle Cain. As for the rest of you, please take care of the other members that he has under his control. Be on guard, they could attack at any moment," Makarov finished.

"It looks like they've already struck master," Warren said via his telepathy. He was out scouting the area with Jet and Droy.

"Jet and Droy are out cold. Get ready everyone cause they're here!"

* * *

And the battle commences!


	8. Spacetime

I was in a good mood after writing three chapters this weekend. I'm now on the third arc, chapter 19 for those who are wondering. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 8. Spacetime

Fairy Tail was scattered in Magnolia. The designated teams patrolled the streets trying to find their assigned opponents. Unfortunately for them, most of the teams were ambushed before they could react.

"Requip! Flight Armor!" Erza slashed her swords at Witch. They had been fighting her for a while already and were barely able to get a hit in. Every time they came close, she pushed them back with her strong gale force winds. Lia especially was having trouble keeping up with the other two. Her quick reflexes helped her dodge Witch's light attacks but since she couldn't get close enough to hurt her, she was worthless in the fight. The others made up for her weak efforts however. Overtime, they used a series of combo attacks to wear Witch down. Her winds were significantly at a lower impact.

Erza shot fire at Witch using her Flame Empress Armor sword slamming her back into a nearby building. Requipping into her Morning Star Armor, Erza shot an energy blast at Witch before she could recover. Seeing an opening, Lucy trapped Witch in her water lock that Juvia taught her. Lightning rippled throughout the water as Witch withered around in pain. She almost succumbed to low oxygen until another member of Cain's Genesis made Lia collide into Lucy, breaking her concentration and the water lock was dissolved. Lia dealt with the unwanted party while Erza and Lucy pounced on Witch. Kicking her foot up, Witch pierced Lucy in the stomach with her spiked boot. Blood spluttered out of the wound spraying Witch's face as Lucy fell over.

Erza sent more flames Witch's way but they were deflected and instead lit up a row of buildings. Seeing Lia occupied with more Cain's Genesis members, Witch assaulted her with a wave of compressed air. Lia zoomed through the sky and crashed into one of burning buildings. Grabbing onto one of the singed wood planks with one arm, she tried to hoist herself up but the wood broke off. Her shoulder popped out the socket and she fell three stories. Flames consumed her body, as she lay unconscious while her guild mates stood in horror outside. By the time she had been knocked in, most of the building was covered in fire with little oxygen left. They knew she had only minutes before she ran out of air or she turned into ashes along with the building.

Erza donned the full Flame Empress Armor. Before she could make it to Lia, an onslaught of light magic halted her. Turning around with a ravenous expression, Erza created a wall of fire. Witch quickly exhausted the inferno never missing a beat. Lucy tried to put out the building that signed Lia's fate but was thrown away in a mini tornado. Time ticked by and the Fairy Tail women realized their friend was already gone. Sending a barrage of magic, they fought with a new resolve.

First, they messed with their town. Then they kidnapped and tortured their friends. Now they extinguished the light of one of their senior members who had just rejoined them.

"Unforgivable!" Erza screamed slamming her fists into Witch's bloodied face.

"Solid Script: Fire!" An eruption of blue fire sped toward Leppard. Already worn down from Levy's other spells; he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"Alright Levy! We didn't even need to join in," Cana strode up to Leppard. She flicked one of her cards at him and he disappeared. Holding the card up to the Sun, the others saw that Leppard was trapped inside.

"That's cause she's a man!" Elfman punched Levy on the shoulder. She winced in pain and let out a stiff chuckle.

"Well that's one down. I wonder how the others are doing?" Lisanna asked.

A rain of boulders fell toward the three dragon slayers. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel diverted the spell back to Butch. The earth mage had been deflecting their attacks using his powerful rock walls. The earth shifted beneath them and they tripped over each other. Wendy jumped right back up and lifted her feet; bringing them down, she unleashed winds onto Butch. He skirted backwards. She swiped at his face, leaving a wake of wind in her trail. Butch melted the earth around her, catching Wendy in its swirls. Driving his foot up Butch kicked several rocks targeted at her tiny body. Wendy managed to blow them back with a lethal Dragon's Roar, which also sent him flying. Natsu kicked Butch's midsection, his leg engulfed in his signature flames. A large iron spearhead drove Butch into the ground. Landing on top of him, Gajeel fired his iron arms rapidly, pounding him repeatedly.

An eruption of yellow fire surprised Gajeel. He brushed it off. He was used to Natsu's hotter flames. To him Butch couldn't match up to either Natsu or Jura when it came to his magic power. Their power could overwhelm him if they went full force. He laughed at the thought of Team Natsu struggling against those clowns. If Butch was that weak, how were the others? Was it only Scotch, the victim mage, and Cain who were the real threats? '_Whatever_,' Gajeel thought. '_The old man and the others will take care of them. And if not I'll take a crack at them_.' He cracked his knuckles before punching Butch again.

A huge wind barrier encircled Wendy and Butch. Moving her arms in a counter-clockwise motion, she sent the wind wall toward Butch. A blinding light illuminated the scope of the area they were fighting in.

Butch wobbled. Unable to stay steady, he worried to himself. Their master's plan was quickly being thrown out the window. Fairy Tail was stronger than any guild they had faced. The previous fights they had seemed like child's play compared to the current one. Fairy Tail especially fought better together and with a cause. Hurting some of their members may have been a miscalculation on Genesis's part. It only fueled the spirited guild even more to enact their revenge on the dark guild. Butch knew he was the weakest of the Gods of Genesis. But Scotch, the leader would be able to handle himself against the guild. His victim magic could bring every Wizard Saint to his knees, crying for mercy. Butch gritted his teeth. Natsu charged at him.

"This should finish you off. Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" The torrent of flames was enough to take one-fourth of the Four Gods of Genesis out. The dragon slayers celebrated their win with magnetic grins.

At the same time, another battle was still going on. The Fairy Tail members fighting Scotch were having a rough time. Gray and Juvia laiy on the ground, unable to withstand Scotch's magic. Mirajane released the gathered ball of dark energy. The black and purple magic made its way over to Scotch, who absorbed its affects. To the surprise of the group, Mirajane was the only one unaffected by Scotch's victim magic. To add to the revelations, Scotch also possessed darkness magic. Leppard apparently forgot to mention that part. Mirajane was having difficulty finding a spell that worked on him. Her macro spell for some reason had no effect on him either. The two mages were having a brutal and confusing battle. With Gray and Juvia out of commission, Mirajane was the lone member of Fairy Tail able to stand toe-to-toe with Scotch.

Lightning lit up the sky in a clash. Laxus huffed and surveyed his opponent. Neither lightning mages magic affected the other. They were equal in power, unable to make any progress. When Laxus used his dragon slayer powers, Glitch simply teleported before the attack hit. Laxus was losing steam against him; he felt his magic power decreasing as the fight went on. Glitch refused to entertain the Thunder Legion. He found their power level significantly below his own and not worth his time. Straightening his shoulders, Bickslow took his mask off.

"Nice shooting sweet cheeks!" Bisca complemented. Alzack cocked his gun in the air. Their daughter laughed as her parents took out another Cain's Genesis member.

"Thanks sugarpuss," Alzack thanked. With one last round, all the other members of the opposing guild were down for the count.

"Hold her tight Erza! Get out the way once I'm almost finished," Lucy commanded. Erza had Witch in a death hold while in her purgatory armor. Lucy proceeded to start the incantation of her most powerful spell. The constellations lent their power to her, gathering around Erza and Witch, who trembled in fright under Erza's grip.

"…Oh 88 Stars of the heaven…Shine! Uranu Metria!" Erza dove out the way right as Witch was paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of Lucy's spell. Falling flat on her face, Witch was defeated by the two vexed Fairy Tail beauties, a bittersweet victory for them. They gazed at the now blackened building that held the deceased Lia.

Glitch turned a darker color. Trying to fight off the effects of Bickslow's figure eyes, he contorted his body in unnatural positions. Smirking, Evergreen pulled her glasses down to the bridge of her nose. Glitch turned to stone and the Thunder Legion and Laxus let out sighs of relief.

Scotch's weakness was a blaring one. With his multitude of magic types, he only had basic knowledge in hand-to-hand combat. Mirajane exploited that weakness, beating the ever-loving shit out of him. Once down, his victim magic was lifted. Juvia applied a water lock on him and Gray froze the water. Rubbing the ice, Mirajane de-transformed and smiled at her guild mates.

"Three Pillar Gods!" Three tall rock formations surrounded Makarov along with three purple magic seals. A flash of light emitted when the spell was completed, hitting Cain head on. Cain was a worthy adversary and vice versa. They respected the others magical prowess and abilities but that's where it ended. Cain grew frustrated at not being able to defeat Makarov. For every spell he dealt, the Wizard Saint had a counter. Cain never imagined it would be that tedious to end Fairy Tail. Sensing his Four Gods destruction, Cain let a stupendous roar.

"Give up Cain. My children have all defeated yours. It's over. Stop now and I won't punish you too severely," Makarov taunted.

Lifting his arms into the air, Cain concentrated on his targets. All over Magnolia, Fairy Tail felt their magic power being drained. On the opposite side, Cain's Genesis was released from their restraints and found their energy being doubled. Standing above the fallen legal guild members they mercilessly battered the wizards.

An hour later, Fairy Tail was gathered in front of their guildhall. Weakened from the effects of Cain's magic drain and under Scotch's victim magic, they sat helpless. They silently prayed for Gildarts or another guild to maybe come to their rescue. Sure, they managed win against the Four Gods but Cain was on a different level. A level they were not prepared to deal with.

"One of the many beliefs of our guild is that connected loved ones should enter the void together. It's a shame that one of your pathetic friends was shown the door of the afterlife before the rest of you were ready. No matter, we'll go on with the ceremony. Say your goodbyes Fairy Tail, your existence will be no more," Cain swiped his fingers swiftly into a four point shape. A golden seal appeared. The members remembered that seal well. It was the same one Phantom Lord used against them to try to kill them years ago. An Abyss Break.

Asuka cuddled deeper into her mother's chest as her parents bit back sobs.

"Don't worry my children. Everything will work out fine," Makarov reassured.

Miles away a body laid on the charred floors. A black circle covered their figure as they stirred awake. Blinking, they lifted themselves into a sitting position.

Panicking, they searched the ruined room for their precious necklaces that had flown off in the fall. Sighing softly, they placed it back around their neck. Tapping into their unused magic, they located the members of Fairy Tail.

A lone silhouette traveled the barren streets of Magnolia. They came upon the scene of Cain's Genesis about to murder the city's beloved guild.

"It's funny. You say you were blessed by the power of Zeref but you don't even have a fraction of his strength." Lia snapped her shoulder back in place ignoring the searing pain.

Fairy Tail cried out at seeing the once thought dead woman.

"Get out of here Lia! You can still make it out alive," Lucy, pleaded.

Lia shook her head and instead stood directly in front of Cain's magic circle. The Four Gods laughed at her stupidity.

"Oh? I thought Witch disposed of you?" Cain asked.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of," she replied.

"Well you can die here now with your friends. Goodbye Fairy Tail! It was a pleasure."

A seismic dark blast erupted out of the magic seal and covered Magnolia.

When the dust cleared, Cain's Genesis stood dumbfounded.

A faint white light surrounded every member of Fairy Tail. The only standing member smirked at their flabbergasted expressions. The light extended throughout the entirety of the city, saving everything from destruction.

Lia's smirk widened. "Oh? We're still breathing? What a surprise."

"Explain!" Cain was enraged at the thought of being beaten by a punk guild like them.

"Angel Wings. My most powerful protection spell. You didn't really think I had no other magic did you?"

"Angel Wings? I know that spell! It's used by…"

"Uh huh."

"Then you're… I mean you are _the_-"

Lia cut him off before he could finish. "Yup. Ophelia from the Sinister Six. I'm still not sure about that name but I guess it's too late to change it now since we've disbanded.

"Cherish the Arts!" Lia made a prayer pose with her hands. Magic energy began leaving the wizards of Cain's Genesis. Twirling around, Lia pointed her arms toward her fellow Fairy Tail members.

"Redirect!"

Fairy Tail began to feel their magic power reentering their bodies. Fueled up and reenergized they collected themselves off the ground.

Turning to them Lia said, "What are you waiting for? Get them."

Not needing another word, Fairy Tail charged for the dark guild.

Requipping into her Lightning Empress Armor, Erza easily beat Glitch. Macao fought Butch with his purple flare and disposed of the Afro man. Elfman punched Scotch's lights out and Freed battled it out with Witch. Lisanna clawed Leppard's face off, leaving the flesh stringy and falling apart. She cupped his chin and said, "Now who's the weakling?"

Once Cain's Genesis was finally conquered, Fairy Tail hugged each other in congratulations.

"You had another magic all this time?" Natsu directed at Lia.

Lia smiled in apology. "Yeah I didn't want to have to use it unless I had to. It takes a lot of magic energy to use. It's a good thing I unsealed before I got here or else I would have never had enough time to unseal it and put up the shield."

Makarov cried into Lia's hip. "Oh thank you Ophelia. We couldn't afford to fix the city again."

* * *

And that is the end of the first arc! Until next time. R&amp;R.


	9. Lost Magic

I'm so sorry! I've been completely swamped by school with essays, projects and last attempts to get my grades up. I forgot to upload and had to edit some chapters before I posted this one.

I want to thank ButterTARDIS36 for adding this to their alerts.

I'll shout out everyone that adds this story to anything or follows because it's so nice of you guys to support it and i'm having the best time writing it.

I would also love some feedback. Opinions would be awesome i'm so ahead in the chapters from what you guys are reading that I can always go back and edit things if you guys don't like something or want a scene added with certain characters interacting. Actually after this next arc I'll be slowly developing some other characters. I know right now it's all about Lia but she's an OC so I have to develop her before I can dive into already established characters. Some of my faves like Gray, Mira, Makarov, Mavis and Zeref will be getting some major development. Just wait and see. For those of you that might be wondering where Zeref is, he won't be making an appearance till the end of the third arc. You're currently reading the second arc.

Again i'll try and incorporate new info found in the manga chapters if it fits with the story but if it ruins my plot then I can't. For any anime only watchers or those not caught up with the manga I just want to repeat that you will be heavily spoiled if you continue to read this story. Read at your own caution.

Alright this is a long intro let's get on with the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 9. Lost Magic

_"With Acnologia, E.N.D., and Nirvana how are we supposed to deal with the Zeref situation?" Mei asked. They had just gotten word of Nirvana changing the good guys to bad. They had to figure out some way to seal it away before moving onto bigger things._

_"I don't know what those Nirvits were thinking. They obviously didn't factor all the possible outcomes before making it. And now we have to clean up their mess." Mei looked at her best friend with worry. She had been running herself rampant trying to keep up with her duties to the guild, the Magic Council and the Zeref situation. She was the most committed out of all of them. It made the young mage look increasingly haggard and frustrated having to deal with one disaster after another. Prance and the others were growing worried over her wellbeing. Hopefully they would finish everything soon and Devi could get some much-needed rest._

It was three weeks later after the battle with Cain's Genesis. Fairy Tail was still recovering but the city was fine. They hadn't seen the Spacetime mage since. She had been keeping herself at her old house with only Wendy going to see her for daily healing sessions. Lia had magic deficiency from overusing her magic. Angel Wings, though very effective was extremely dangerous to the user. When casted every hit the shield received attacked the magic supply of the caster. Lia had to be put on bed rest after collapsing. Master Makarov didn't want anyone disturbing her rest until he was sure she was ready to receive guests regularly. Team Natsu had gotten permission that day and found themselves at the front door of a two-story house nuzzled in between larger buildings.

Natsu tried prying the door open but to no avail.

"You have to show the door your Fairy Tail emblem. Only Fairy Tail members are allowed inside without permission from Lia," Wendy explained flashing her emblem at the door. It swung open. The others followed her example before letting themselves in. They travelled to the living room where they saw Lia laying on the couch facing away from them. She twisted her neck around and greeted them with a bright smile.

"Hey guys! I haven't seen you in a while," Lia seemed like she was still loopy from the meds they had her on. She wasn't usually that energetic.

"Yeah Master finally let us come see you. We brought some of Mira's food for you," Lucy put the basket on the table in front of the couch. Team Natsu made themselves comfortable on the other couches and chairs.

"This is a rather nice house. Did you redecorate it?" Erza asked.

"Only the outdated furniture. Well, some of it. I didn't want to throw away everything. It holds some great memories and mementoes." Lia eyed the blown up picture over the fireplace. The founding members of Fairy Tail plus a younger Ophelia and Reiki stared back. They were all showing off their magic powers with huge grins from laughing too hard. It was taken seven months before baby Makarov was born, when they found out about the pregnancy. In the air above them, they spelled out congratulations above Yury's head who was all charged up with lightning.

"Whoa! That guy looks like Laxus," Gray and the others crowded around the photo.

"It's his great grandfather, Yury," Lia told them.

Natsu pointed to the one with the eye patch. "That's that Hades guy. I can't believe he was ever a member of Fairy Tail."

"I can't believe he turned to the dark side. He was always the most gentle out of us besides Mavis."

"Mavis looks the same," Lucy commented.

"Yes she doesn't age," Lia looked away for a second hiding a pained expression.

"This is the house I shared with Mavis and Reiki. It's pretty lonely in here by myself now," Lia said as Wendy removed the sling on her right arm. Her shoulder had healed properly.

"Wow. I can't imagine having to have this place to yourself," Erza said.

Lia shrugged. "If you don't mind me asking, I mean it's been bothering me since the fight but I've never heard of Spacetime magic before," Erza continued.

"Most people don't know much about lost magic," Lia stated.

"Like Dragon Slayer magic?" Natsu asked.

"And Devil Slayer magic?" Gray added.

Lia nodded. "Exactly. It's a very ancient magic that has almost died out. Although I can sense a couple dozen others around the world also possess it. Most Spacetime mages learn from others like dragon slayers learn from dragons. It's very difficult to master and requires years of dedication. My mother's family specialized in it so I was taught from birth. I'm still learning. I hope I can reach my mother's level before I turn thirty like she did."

"What does it do exactly?" Gray asked.

"It's hard to explain. The most rudimentary explanation I can give is that it gives the user the ability to manipulate space and time. Space meaning things around me and time meaning well, the time of living or nonliving things. Although I mainly just use the dark matter of space to fight with since it's easier," Lia described.

"Can you give us an example?" Wendy asked.

Lia leaned back into the pillows. Munching on a cookie she said, "I can sense fluctuations in time or wounds. Like the dragon incident at the Grand Magic Games. Or future Rogue messing with the original timeline. I would have sensed it and tried to prevent it from happening by over routing the time stream. If time were too damaged, I wouldn't be able to fix it since that's more advanced than what I'm used to and would need the help of another Spacetime wizard. I can also see multiple futures and assess them accordingly. It's all very mathematical and requires looking at all the possible variables. I liked doing research on the time aspect. And even though I liked learning how to fight with it, I really wasn't given a chance to learn anything but defensive spells until I was in my teens. But it's the duty of a Spacetime mage to look after time and space. There are many rules that we have to follow or we chance the breakdown of time. There are so many laws to abide by like preventing certain events to happen if they're not meant to happen or trying to stop a birth from happening if you know that person will grow up to be evil or kill your cat or something."

"Sounds like too much work," Happy commented.

"It would be better if you could time travel with it. Like the Eclipse Door or the Memory Days books we found," Lucy said.

"Memory Days huh? I see you fell victim to my mother's book," Lia chuckled.

"Your mother wrote that book?" Natsu boomed.

"That book was a pain in our asses. We almost got stuck in the past because of it," Gray complained.

"I almost forgot. Master wanted us to inform you about the Annual Wizard Celebration being held in Crocus soon. He wanted to know if you'd be participating in the festivities. Most of the Wizard Saints are said to be making an appearance this year. They say it's because they heard about your revival from Warrod," Erza interjected.

The Annual Wizard Celebration was a new thing. After the reemergence of the demons, wizards all over Fiore had been helping to take care of them. To show their appreciation, the royal family and the Magic Council had thrown together a festival to honor the wizards who warded off the demons. Dozens of guilds show up to party and receive honors. It was going to be the second year they held it and it was made in a sense to replace the Grand Magic Games. Millions of citizens tuned in on lacrima vision to watch the festivities and the country made a huge profit from it. It was a weeklong celebration.

"Yeah even the Four Gods of Genesis are going! The Magic Council said they have a special announcement too," Wendy mentioned.

"Sounds like fun. I can't wait to see the Reiki, Yury and Warrod again. It'll be like a reunion except it's only been a few weeks for me. When is it?"

"Three months from now," Wendy answered.

"Let's head to the guild. I want more of Mira's cooking."

* * *

I'll get the next chapter up soon don't you worry. I'm doing absolutely nothing for spring break this year so i'm free to write till my hearts content this week. :)


	10. Back to Crocus

Alright a few updates: Lia no longer was the one to inspire Makarov to use light magic. She didn't restore Magnolia after the abyss break she used angel wings to protect the entire city. She is no longer a wizard saint, or has thought projection. She has a fear of being alone in forests/woods and is bad at cooking. Reiki and Lia didn't join Fairy Tail right after it was formed but two years later when Mavis and Lia are 15. All these changes can be seen in chapters 2,4,5,6,7 and 8. Also I changed and added to some aspects of her spacetime magic. I would suggest rereading the part in chapter 9 where she explains spacetime to team Natsu.

* * *

Chapter 10. Back to Crocus

_Lia studied Rebecca from across the guildhall. She had been keeping an eye on the young woman for the past few days. She watched as she ordered a drink and sauntered over to her._

_"Do you really think you should be drinking in your condition?" Lia whispered sneakily into Rebecca's ear. Rebecca snapped her head around to stare at her. Lia grabbed the cup from Rebecca's hand and handed it to a guild member. Rebecca pulled Lia upstairs where it was empty._

_"You know?" Rebecca put a hand on her still flat stomach. Lia smirked at her._

"_You know I can sense new life from miles away." She laughed loudly in her face. Rebecca grew irritated at her nonchalant attitude and sent her a glare._

_"I don't want it anyway. I'm getting an abortion," Lia quickly sobered at her proclamation. Her intense glare sent shivers down Rebecca's spin, making her take an involuntary step back._

_"That's my best friend's baby. It's not only your decision."_

_"Yury is not serious enough for a kid," Rebecca bit back._

_"He would marry you in a second if he found out."_

_"If. If he finds out. And even if he does," the impregnated 22 year old gave Lia a look. "It'll be long gone by then." She spun on her heels and made to go back downstairs._

_"You shouldn't do that," Lia warned. Rebecca stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked back at the younger girl._

_"Why? Because you'll bully me into keeping it? You'll hang me over a cliff until I submit? You can't scare me Ophelia," Rebecca spat._

_Lia walked up to her. "Are you sure? Boo!" Lia made a jerk movement keeping her arms crossed over her chest. Rebecca started to fall back frightened but Lia gripped her arm to steady her. "Whoa there. You have to be careful. That's my nephew in there," Lia smiled in mockery._

_"What do you want Ophelia?" Rebecca was fed up with her antics. She, Reiki and the founders ran around the guild as if they ruled the entire world. She fell for Yury's charms at first, being from a foreign country. He was the one who brought her to the guild and introduced her to many people who soon became her friends, and later family. But after their third breakup, she grew tired of Fiore and wanted to go home to her homeland. She wanted nothing but that but was tied down with Yury's child._

_Lia reached out and felt Rebecca's stomach. She closed her eyes for a few seconds then opened them to look directly at Rebecca. "That baby will grow up one day to become someone very special. Someone very powerful and needed in this world. If you kill him before he can even show the world his potential then we'll lose something great,"_

_Lia took her hand off Rebecca. Rebecca sighed in frustration._

_"I don't care. I'm not gonna be held down by a baby I don't want."_

_"Let me make a deal with you. I know you want to go back to your home country. And I can sympathize with you because I'm not from here either. Listen, carry the baby to full term, give birth and I'll provide enough money so you won't have to worry for the rest of your life. You'll be able to live a quiet life back in your village and won't have to work another day. What do you say?"_

_Rebecca shook Lia's hand with a defeated expression._

_A week later, Yury came running up to Lia, Mavis, Reiki, Pretch and Warrod with news that he would be expecting his first child. The group of best friends celebrated with a round of drinks and then took a commemorative photo in front of the guild._

Three months later, Team Natsu sat round a table discussing the Annual Wizard Celebration. It was days away and the guild was buzzing with excitement. They needed a break from all the demon hunting missions and jobs they had lined up.

The guild doors burst open and at the entrance stood Laxus, Erza, Mirajane and Lia. The four s-class wizards had been sent on another a mission handpicked by the magic council to hunt down a list of demons inhabiting Fiore.

"Hey guys!" Erza waltzed up to her team to the rest of the team along with Lia. They greeted their teammate with hugs, heys and punches.

"We're leaving today to travel to Crocus. You guys made it just in time," Wendy said.

Lia stuffed her gloves in her coat pocket. "Yeah it took longer than expected. Those demons know how to hide. How's things been going here?"

"Busy. We've been swamped with job requests and they're not letting up," Lucy complained.

"It'll be nice to get a break," Erza agreed.

Fairy Tail arrived at the capital city days later. They crowded inside the bar they claimed the last time they had been in Crocus. The same one for the Grand Magic Games and the first Annual Wizard Celebration. They drank, danced and caused a ruckus not caring one bit. No one would dare stop the strongest guild in Fiore from letting loose. Especially when most of them already had a few drinks.

A blue haired man roamed the streets blocks away from the bar that housed Fairy Tail. He stopped dead in his tracks and started sprinting toward the rowdy bar.

"This feeling… It can't be… the same as before? The same one I felt years ago."

He slammed the doors open interrupting the party. Everyone gave him a look of surprise. A certain red head was delighted to see him again but held it in.

"Jellal?" Erza said from across the room. "What are you doing here? You could be caught and thrown in jail." Erza questioned. Worry gleamed in her eyes as she gazed at the man she loved.

"I… I sense it again."

Erza stepped forward. "Sense what?"

"The same power as before. We've been scouting this area during the celebrations just as a precaution. With so many wizards here at one time something is bound to happen," Jellal answered. His eyes roamed the room. They fell onto Ophelia's black ones and widened.

He pointed at the silver haired woman. She chewed on her pretzels then got out of her seat.

"Me? Just what are you sensing Jellal?"

The ex-Wizard Saint glared at Lia. "Spacetime magic."

The room boomed with laughter. "What about it?" Lia asked.

Jellal walked until he was nose to nose with his suspect. "That's Black Magic. The same kind Zeref uses. What is a member of Fairy Tail doing using the same magic as The Killing Mage?"

The room flooded with silence. Fairy Tail couldn't believe what they were hearing. Jellal was accusing Ophelia of having the same magic as Zeref? What was he insinuating even if she did? That she was black mage? Working with Zeref maybe?

Lia looked at her fellow guild mates feeling briefly detached from the situation.

"Yes, I use a form of black magic. And yes, it's one of the ones Zeref possesses. But you Jellal, a man of your standing or former standing should be able to figure out why that is. A former council member and Wizard Saint should know that-"

"She's Ophelia. The very same that disappeared decades ago," Makarov interjected. He didn't want the discussion to go on any longer. Jellal claimed a look of recognition and relaxed his stance.

Bowing his head he said, "My apologies Ophelia. I had no idea."

"No worries. All is forgiven." The wizards slowly got back to partying. Once everyone was distracted with other things, Jellal gestured for Lia to meet him outside.

Walking to the back alleyway, once she confirmed no one was listening Lia said, "I hope we can keep this between us."

Jellal nodded his consent. "I see Makarov knows."

"Yes, and Gildarts and Laxus but only them in the guild."

"How long do you plan to keep it from them?"

"For as long as possible." They stood in silence for several moments.

"I can help hide you guys. Crime Sorcière I mean."

Jellal looked at the physically younger woman. She kept her gaze on the moon. "How?"

"My illusions. I may only have basic knowledge but they can hide your appearance at least until the celebration is over if you plan to stay that long. They'll keep your identities secret. You'll have to be careful still but it should make it easier."

Jellal nodded his thanks. "That would be great. It's getting harder to search the city every year."

"No problem. I'm impressed with what you're trying to achieve and how dedicated you are." Lia took her gaze off the moon.

She went back inside to join her guild mates and he went to inform the rest of Crime Sorcière of his discovery.

* * *

Until next time! R&amp;R


	11. The Wizard Saints

Hello everyone. Before we get into the story I just want to thank CalicoKitty402 for favoriting and following it. And excuse the little updates i've been making to it, I'm trying to tie up any loose ends and improve on things before we get to the meat of the story.

* * *

Chapter 11. The Wizard Saints

_X792_

_The Magic Council was having their weekly meeting. After going over the mundane news and discussions, they finally arrived to the meat of the problems. What had been terrorizing not only Fiore but in addition, all the countries across the continent._

_"__You would think after Fairy Tail took care of them last year they would be no more. But they've found a way to regroup and become even more of a threat," Yajima said. He recently rejoined the council after years of inactivity. With the magic world teeming with demons, they needed as much help as they could get._

_"__It's the doing of their new leader, Chaos. After Zeref closed and burned the book of Mard Geer for failing him one too many times, he opened the book of Chaos, his twin brother," Doranbolt, semi-active member of Fairy Tail said._

_"__He's said to have powers that rival his brother in strength. I doubt he'll make the same mistake as Mard Geer," Yajima added._

_"__Who would be strong enough to take them on? Fairy Tail last time had a difficult enough time dealing with them. I doubt they could do it again. We don't even know who is still in the guild and which of his other demons joined," Doranbolt continued._

_"__Only a wizard of the Four Gods of Ishgar could handle them. Let us hope this matter will be dealt with sooner rather than later when it is likely to get worse," T. Sherman, head council member and former general of the military unit. He was an elderly man with a long gray beard and muted purple eyes. The council moved onto the next item on the agenda._

Fairy Tail walked through halls to get to their seats, greeting friends from other guilds such as Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth. The city was in high spirits, waiting for the official start of the Annual Wizard Celebration.

Loke walked close to Lucy keeping his signature flirty smile in place while chatting with the pretty blonde. He had left the celestial spirit world to enjoy the festivities with his friends and to spend more time with Lucy.

Erza kept quiet, still thinking about the previous nights' events where she saw Jellal for the first time in two years. She had not expected to see the heavenly body mage again anytime soon and felt flustered and frustrated at his brief appearance. She secretly wished to run into him once more before the week was over and they would be separated. Erza worried for his safety. The city was stacked with council members and of course the King's own guards. Anyone of them would arrest Jellal on the spot and he would be lost to her.

Wendy held on tight to Carla as they weaved through the crowd. The young sky maiden had woken up during the night in terror. The girls had comforted her the best they could but she was inconsolable until she passed out from crying too hard. When she woke up, she told them what was troubling her. Leppard's torture sessions still plagued her. She tried holding it in, putting on a brave face for everyone but cried herself to sleep every night after being brought back to the guild. Wendy begged Carla not to tell the others and she complied with her charge's wishes but worried over her condition. Mirajane confessed that Lisanna was having trouble after the Cain's Genesis situation too. Over breakfast, the girls got the two, along with Laki and Romeo to sit down and talk about some of their fears with their loved ones. They spilled some of the things they had experienced while kidnapped. The guild sat horrified not only at what they had been through but also that they had never realized that they might have had leftover pain. They vowed to keep close eyes on the four for the next few months until they were 100 percent sure they were okay.

Doranbolt, one of the seats of the Magic Council stopped Lia before Fairy Tail could reach their designated section. Makarov accompanied her.

"Miss Ophelia, the Magic Council would like to extend an offer to you," Doranbolt started.

"What is it?"

"With your skills with time, you would be a tremendous asset to the Council. Right now, we're having difficult a time keeping up with all the demon attacks and dark guilds popping up. It's hard to pinpoint their movements and predict their next strikes. If you're willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you could keep an eye for any disturbances in time. We know you can feel when major events happen and if you could use that power to inform us about the future attacks of demons or dark guilds, well, we would be indebted to you. We know you can't prevent these events per say but any notice we receive would help to save a lot of lives. What do you say?"

"Before she answers, would this interfere with her duty and loyalty to Fairy Tail? If it does I'm afraid I can't allow her to help you," Makarov asserted.

"No. Makarov it would not. She would have to report to the Council at least once a week and attend meetings but she should be free to stay in Fairy Tail as a full time member."

"Then she'll do it," Makarov answered for her.

Both Doranbolt and Lia were a bit stunned at the elder master.

"Maky!" Lia grabbed hold of his ear. "What if I didn't want to do it?"

Makarov ripped his reddened ear from her grasp. "Doesn't matter. I'm guild master and you have to do as I say."

Lia scowled at him before gruffly shaking hands with Doranbolt to seal the deal.

Makarov greeted Jura Neekis and said goodbye to his children. All present Wizard Saints had to wait near the tunnels to the battlefield so they could open the celebrations together. Only he and Jura were in their tunnel while they assumed the Four Gods were opposite them.

Once the stadium was filled to capacity, the announcers got the green light.

Chapati Lola cleared his throat into the microphone. He sported a shaggy red wig and matching mustache. "Welcome all to the second Annual Wizard Celebration. I am your host Chapati Lola and I'm joined with Jason from Sorcerer Magazine. Let's dive right in by introducing the wizards that will be kicking off our weeklong party, the all devastatingly powerful, Wizard Saints!" The crowd boomed with applause. Dozens of signs and banners waved in the air showing love to their favorite Saint.

A large platform rose in the middle of the battlefield. "Introducing first is the sixth Wizard Saint, Makarov Dreyer master of the strongest guild in Fiore!" Fairy Tail hooted for their master as he made his way to the stage. Many in the crowd laughed silently at his unimpressive height but marveled at the rumors of his power.

"Next out is The Iron Rock Jura Neekis the former ace member of Lamia Scale," Jura stepped calmly up the steps to the platform while his guild master made the person next to her spin from admiration of her favorite guild member.

"This is where it gets really exciting folks. Next out is the Fourth God of Ishgar Warrod Sequen!" The stadium lit up at seeing their first God. It was extremely rare for any of the Gods to be in public as they mainly stayed out of world affairs. Lia clapped with extra enthusiasm for her old friend and teammate.

"We're coming down to the wire here folks. Here is the Third God of Ishgar Antony Milkovich who revolutionized Take Over and transformation magic!" A tall middle-aged man stepped out of the tunnel. He had tidy black hair that was parted and slicked back. A blue, yellow and black cloak wrapped round his strong body. He had a severe facial expression and did not react to the crowd's chants.

"Milkovich? It couldn't be…" Gray muttered.

"Yeah that's Ultear's father," Gildarts answered.

"That pervert?" Natsu asked. Gray punched him and they proceeded to brawl it out before Erza stopped them.

"I'm getting so excited folks I can barely contain myself! Next is the Second God of Ishgar Yury Dreyer! Two Dreyers as Saints! That family sure knows how to make 'em."

"That's gramp's old man!" Natsu yelled out.

A man with messy, shoulder length gray hair ate up the cheers of the crowd blowing kisses. Lia giggled at his antics. A few in the crowd fainted from his kisses and had to be carted away. "If only Mavis and Pretch were here too." Yury ruffled Makarov's hair before taking his place next to Antony.

"The moment we have been waiting for folks! I can't believe I have not soiled myself yet but I believe I'm about to. It's the First God of Ishgar-"

"It's the freaking Iron Man Reiki Fermata! Oh man this is so cool!" The crowd exploded with thunderous applause when the number one wizard Saint walked out. He too had messy shoulder length hair but his was a striking silver color. The same as his former teammate's Lia. A traditional blue robe covered his also blue outfit. His unbelievable good looks from his youth remained but in a more mature and defined fashion. The cheers grew louder once he stood with his fellow Saints. They dazzled the crowd with their mere presence. They could feel the magic power seeping from their bodies, electrifying the audience.

"Also just to add here, the top five Wizard Saints are all a part of the Magic Council. Stepping up to fill the empty seats after most of the former members were assassinated two years ago.

"Before we get to the official start, three of the Four Gods would like to make a special announcement."

Reiki Fermata silenced the crowd with a hand.

"As you may have heard, we've recently regained a valuable asset to the wizarding community. Trapped in a book for decades, she has finally joined society once again and we would like to take this time to officially welcome her back. Everyone welcome back our friend Ophelia of Fairy Tail!"

People sat stunned in the stands and watching across Fiore on the lacrima vision. Sure, they had heard rumors of her return but didn't believe them. She was thought dead a long time ago and to have confirmation that she was alive, well, and at the Annual Wizard Celebration was too much for them to handle. The Sinister Six back in the old days ran rough shot over the magical community each with their own flair for destroying things.

Fairy Tail pushed Lia down to the tunnels. She hesitantly went out onto the battlefield where she was greeted by resounding chants and cheers. Shrugging her shoulders at the rest of the guild, she climbed the short steps to the stage.

She reached for Warrod first, never greeting him properly after being unsealed from the book. Yury grabbed onto her small frame almost crushing her in a bear hug.

Lia looked up to see Reiki. Her face grew flushed under his scrutinizing gaze.

"You've gotten so… old," Lia flippantly said.

Reiki smirked and brushed the hair out of his face. "That's what happens when you age Chibi-Lia. You should try it sometimes. It's not that bad."

"Nah, I don't want to end up a bag of saggy decrepitated bones like you." He glared daggers at her and she gulped. The stands were still as they watched their interaction.

Reiki charged at Lia and scooped her up swinging her around. She let out a high-pitched scream and the crowd feared for her life. It wasn't until they saw that she wasn't crying tears of pain but exuberance that they calmed down. Yury and Warrod laughed at the youngest member of their group.

"That's right folks. Back in the day, Ophelia, Reiki, Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first guild master, Yury, Pretch Gaebolg and Warrod were the strongest team at that time, The Sinister Six. Not only did they strike fear into any who dared get in their way, they were also a tight knit group of best friends," Chapati explained.

Lia stepped down off the stage when it came time for the Wizard Saints to open the Celebration

Requipping into their Ten Wizard Saint robes, the almighty mages released a burst of raw magic that exploded in the sky, kicking off the start of the Annual Wizard Celebration.

* * *

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it :) R&amp;R


	12. Stories over Sunflower Seeds

Hello all. I am back with chapter 12 a little early. You can thank kurahieirtr JIO for that as they inspired me to add some scenes to this today.

* * *

Chapter 12. Stories over Sunflowers Seeds

Lia munched on the sunflower seeds as her eyes swept over the arras covering the castle walls. Fairy Tail decided to opt out of any games that day, to instead take a tour of the castle, and join the king for dinner later that evening. Their tour guide yapped on and on about the history of the castle but few paid attention to him. Their attention was diverted to the Four Gods of Ishgar that just joined them on the tour.

They tried to ignore the stares and struck up conversations with some Fairy Tail members.

"Did you hear about the Tartarus guild causing trouble again?" Yury directed at his son Makarov and Lia.

Makarov waved him off. "Yes, yes. Nothing we can't handle again if it comes to it."

Yury raised an arched eyebrow. "Are you sure? You barely made it out last time."

"No thanks to you," Makarov shot back.

Yury barked a laugh. "Or our secret guarded by our lovely Mavis," he whispered her name only loud enough for Reiki, Makarov, Warrod and Lia to hear. "Besides you young ones are old enough and strong enough to fight for yourselves without us geezers butting in."

The group walked behind the others. Antony was in a deep conversation with Gildarts with Cana at his side.

Makarov glared at Yury.

"Play nice you two. Father and son should never fight," Lia said darkly. Reiki sent her a look of concern but she ignored his gaze and continued eating her sunflower seeds.

They rounded a corner and came upon a large circular room with stunning ceiling high statues framing the walls. The oldest people in the room let out groans.

"And this," started the tour guide. "Is the room dedicated to the Seven Deadly. Only six of them, as we all know the first one is the dark mage Zeref. The royal family built this room to honor the other six."

"Aren't these the guys who you talking about when we were fighting Cain's Genesis Lia?" Wendy asked. Lia nodded her head.

Lucy clapped her hands. "I've wanted to learn more about them ever since you mentioned them Lia but always forgot to look up a history book with them."

She ran up to one and read the description aloud. "Mei: Light Personified. Renowned for her use of light magic and creation of many spells we use today. Died while saving millions. Doesn't say how exactly she died. " Lucy moved on to the others reading them to Fairy Tail.

"Devi: The Mistress of the Cosmos. Renowned for her efficiency in the black arts. Died while saving millions.

"Prance: The Strongest Dragon Slayer. Renowned for being one the first dragon slayers. His Atlas Flames could burn through anything. Status unknown.

"Flash: Master of the Heavens. Renowned for conjuring up storms the size of small countries. Status unknown.

"Brutus: The Mathematician. Renowned for causing damage to areas with an unknown magic type. Status unknown.

"Arc: Father Earth. Renowned for helping to heal the world after the destruction caused by the frequent ancient wars. Status unknown.

"Wow. They sound pretty powerful," Lucy finished.

"The Seven Deadly were the most powerful humans known in the world," Antony joined in. "These six joined up to seal away Nirvana when it was causing more trouble than good."

"So they sealed away Nirvana," Erza muttered.

"They also went up against E.N.D. managing to seal him away. Not even the Fire Dragon King Igneel achieved that feat." Natsu stiffened at his father's name. Happy laid a paw on his shoulder and cuddled up to his best friend.

"Anyhow!" Erza interjected. "We have a dinner to prepare for. We must not be rude and show up in our present garbs." The rest of the guild followed her lead.

Fairy sat at the grand dining table with the king and princess along with the other invited guilds. Laxus sat directly across from his great grandfather and grandfather. The team had arrived in time for the royal dinner.

Laxus gaped at Yury, while the patriarch of the Dreyer family simply chewed his food without noticing.

"What is this?" Laxus gestured toward Yury. Makarov put down his fork, which had a large piece of lemon cake on it.

"Laxus you brute! Show more respect for your great-grandfather."

Laxus gave Makarov a sour look before pointing to an oblivious Yury.

"What's he doing here?"

"He's here for the celebration Laxus, didn't you hear?" Mirajane answered.

"No I did not. I just got here. What is his old ass doing here anyway? He never leaves that love shack he shares with Reiki." The said wizard had to be restrained by Warrod while Lia chocked on her drink.

Yury sneezed and finally addressed the younger Dreyer. "Oi boy. I don't appreciate you talking bad bout me." Laxus gave him an incredulous look. "You didn't even notice until now!

"You come sitting at this table acting like I haven't seen you since I was five. Maybe if you dropped by more than every 20 years I wouldn't be so surprised to see you."

Freed whispered in Laxus's ear. "Are you sure you should be talking to him like that?"

"Yeah he is a wizard saint," Evergreen agreed.

"He's no saint. You should hear the type of stuff he and their old crew used to get up to," Laxus nodded his head toward Reiki, Warrod and Lia. "You wouldn't think they were so holier than thou." Gildarts, Jura, Antony, Makarov and the remaining members of the Sinister Six gave the rebellious lightning mage warning glares. They excused his behavior as him having too much to drink but the older Dreyers promised to speak with him when he was sober and levelheaded. The remainder of the dinner continued without another tense conversation. When it finished the guests went their separate ways.

Lia shuffled through the empty halls looking for an exit. Instead of an exit, she found a resident Fairy Tail dragon slayer looking out over the balcony with a somber expression. Picking up the long train of her dress, she took a place next to him.

"Oh. Hey Lia," Natsu gave her fake smile. "You looked nice tonight by the way." He gestured to her purple ball gown.

"Thank you. You looked good being put together as well." He nodded his thanks. Silenced lingered between the two.

Taking a chance Lia asked, "What's bugging you Natsu? You've been down since we left to get ready."

Natsu let out a deep sigh. "It's just… When Antony mentioned Igneel I just…" He couldn't finish.

"I figured. It's hard losing a parent, huh?"

"Yeah. It sucks."

"You know you can talk to anyone in the guild about it right? Most of us have lost a parent or both and can empathize with you."

Natsu shook his head no. "None of them knew Igneel. Most of them didn't even believe he was still alive before he died. It's like talking about a fossil that nobody believes existed before." Natsu sat on the railing. His feet dangled over the side. Lia requipped into a more roomy short dress and joined him.

He chuckled at her bravery. "Lucy would have never done that."

Lia shrugged. "There are worse things to be intimidated over."

"Hmm… I guess." Natsu gazed at the twinkling stars. "I wonder if Igneel is up there."

"Oh I know he is," Lucy answered. Natsu snapped his head at her. She smiled at one bright star that shined brighter than the rest. She took out more sunflower seeds she hid in her pocket. She offered some to Natsu.

"I remember when I got lost when I was little. I wandered too far away from the river and was separated from the rest of my family. A dark shadow flew over me and landed in front of me while I was crying on the ground." Lia looked into Natsu's bewildered eyes. "It was Igneel. He asked me why I was crying. He offered to help me find my family with me. I always wondered why he was there since he lived in Ishgar, that's what Fiore was called back then. I suppose he was visiting his good friend Grandeeney who lived in Caelum where I was born."

"You knew Igneel?!" Natsu sat wide eyed at her story. Lia gave him her signature smirk.

She jumped off the railing and rubbed his shoulder. "Igneel left you behind to carry on his will Natsu. Don't sully his memory by getting upset by the mere mention of him. Be strong for him."

She left him contemplating on the castle railing.

On the other side of Crocus, Erza Scarlet was also admiring the brilliant night sky. She felt a familiar presence behind her. Jellal had his cloak hood over his head. Even though Erza did not recognize his physical appearance, she would know his magic aura from anywhere.

"Why do you have that hood on if no one can recognize you?"

Jellal slipped his hood off and came to stand by her. "Force of habit."

"Lia said not to worry if a blond blue eyed fellow was seemingly stalking me. I guess I understand what she was saying now."

"Yes that Ophelia sure does love her riddles. She has many more for you to solve. I just hope the result is worth it." Erza looked at him strangely. "Let's not talk about that. How are you? What have you been up to since I last saw you," Jellal continued.

"I had to close my cake shop after rejoining the guild."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I know how much you enjoyed it."

Erza shrugged her shoulders. "I may open one up in Magnolia after this Zeref mess is done with."

Jellal's face-hardened at the mention of the dark wizard. "Zeref. We've still been unable to locate him or any of Tartarus. I have a feeling they'll turn up and cause more pain and suffering for everyone.

"Don't worry. Us in the light will handle it," Erza turned to leave. Jellal looked after her as she walked down the cobbled streets. "You can remain in the path of darkness. I won't force you out of the shadows." Erza sent him one last sad smile before departing back to the guild hotel.

* * *

Onward march! The next five or more chapter will be event packed so pay close attention and get ready. Until next time :)


	13. Chaos

Hello everyone. A little tidbit about this chapter, I edited it and changed a million things in it. I think I'm satisfied but not sure. Shoutout to raxhel1027 and MidTwili for following/favoriting and kurahieiritr JIO and Wacko12 for reviewing. And a heads up I've changed the rating to mature because will be getting graphic here on out.

* * *

Chapter 13. Chaos

The next day of the Annual Wizard Celebration Fairy Tail took another break from most of the games and competitions. They watched in the stands as the other guilds competed and showed their support for their friendly rivals.

Lia was leading citizens out the city when she felt a strange sensation, prick in the back of her head. She looked towards the coliseum where most of the fans and guilds were. She ushered the people out of the city faster knowing that they only had a small amount of time left. Lia had sensed the impending event would happen as soon as she stepped foot into Crocus. She had devised a plan to get the citizens not in the stadium out without a panic. Unfortunately, she could not prevent the assault but only try to keep the casualties low.

"Listen everyone needs to leave the city boundaries immediately. The city is under an evacuation drill! Go now! Don't wait just go!" People poured out the buildings following her orders. Once most of them were out, she placed her attention on the stadium once again. She tore down the streets hoping to get there before it started. When the force field barrier about to be completed, the surrounding area became inverted in color as the silver key hanging onto a long chain around Lia's neck glowed briefly. She slowed her pace and entered the stadium. Everything turned back to normal as she heard the grand clock at the entrance tick back to life.

Sprinting down the halls, Lia came to a screeching stop as she ran into someone from her past. "Seilah!"

Seilah gave her a calm look as she greeted her former… well it was complicated.

"Hello Miss. What a story book reunion this will be for all of us."

Lia searched wildly around for anymore Tartarus demons. "I'm the only one here Miss. The others hold gates of their own," Seilah informed.

"Why is it that everywhere I turn there's always trouble?" Lia groaned.

Seilah shook her head. "I don't hold the answers Miss. You are the one who sees all. Are you not?"

Lia gave Seilah one last glance as she raced to the stands. She came to another stop as the definition of trouble appeared.

"Greetings humans!" Chaos, the twin brother of the deceased Mard Geer said with glee. He was an exact copy of Mard Geer except for his silver hair. The same as Li\\\\\\\\\a's.

"Pardon us for interrupting your little soiree but we've come to welcome an old friend", Chaos continued. Lia slowly walked to the Fairy Tail box not wanting to be spotted by Chaos or any of the other Tartarus demons keeping an eye out.

She stood next Reiki, Yury and Warrod as they watched Chaos.

"Let's go guys!" Natsu yelled.

Reiki held the dragon back with his staff. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. As a member of the council, I forbid any civilian that has never dealt with Chaos previously to fight him. Or else they be thrown in jail should they survive." Makarov made to argue but stopped once he saw the serious expression on the First God of Ishgar.

"Don't worry son. We'll handle this," Yury said before he, Reiki and Warrod teleported to the battlefield. They surrounded Chaos.

"Ah. Nice to see you three again." Chaos smiled in remembrance. "It's been so long since then. Oh how I missed our fights. Such fun. Such destruction caused by them. I've come to ignite that old flame once again. But where's the fourth member?""

Reiki took out his lance. "You're not getting her."

Chaos sent a black bomb curse at him. Reiki swiped at it and it exploded in his face. The smoke cleared and The Iron Man stood unmoved from his position. The spectators were astonished at his defensive power.

"I've felt more powerful attacks from you. You're slipping Chaos."

"Oh I'm only playing around until mistress joins us. It'll be a showstopper event. The entire nation will get to see the remaining members of the Sinister Six struggle to fight off the King of Tartarus."

Fairy Tail huddled protectively around Lia. The action drew more attention than needed, spawning vines to jut out of the ground, swooping upwards to clamp themselves around Lia's neck. Lia was dragged down to the battlefield; she didn't struggle, just looked very annoyed.

The present Gods of Ishgar made to move. "Ah ah ah. One wrong move and I'll snap her neck.

"My, my. Mistress, you haven't aged a day. Still as beautiful as the day I last saw you. So very long ago," Chaos put a hand to his cheek sighing, turning his attention to Lia.

"What do you want Chaos?" Lia asked impatiently.

"As I was saying to your team mates, I missed the fights we used to have. You were always my favorite opponent."

"Well those days are over. Leave. Now." Lia demanded. She wanted to prevent as much bloodshed as possible. But with her current position she didn't wield much power.

Chaos ticked. "As I also said before the Tartarus demons are stationed at every exit. We put up anti teleportation barriers around and above the arena so no one gets in or out."

Chaos smiled at her helpless expression. "My, my. I've never seen that look on your face before. Quite pleasing. I crave more.

Lia schooled her face.

"Why don't we place a wager. If I win, with no interference from any outside sources, everyone dies and you come with us. However, if you four win, with no outside interference, every pathetic human life here continues. What do you say mistress?" He laid the decision solely onto her shoulders knowing she would be the easiest to manipulate.

The stands held their breath. Would Ophelia fight for them?

"No deal. My days fighting you are long over. I'm tired of the endless cycle. Just leave, Chaos. Please," Lia plead, her voice coming out strained as the vines tightened their grip.

Fairy Tail was fuming. How could Lia beg a demon for anything? That was a disgrace to their guild.

"Wrong answer."

The vines disappeared from her neck and journeyed downward to her ankles.

Yury readied an attack but was stopped by Reiki. "Wait until he lets go of her. Those vines can easily go back to her neck to strangle her as long as they have her held."

Lia was rapidly spinning around the stadium. Chaos let her go by throwing her up further into the air. When her back arched up, several large thorns tore straight through her abdomen.

"Dea Yggdrasil!" A massive spinning sphere conjured out of his hand. An immense wooden bean fired at her. Lia was shot further into the air. Chaos grabbed hold of the wooden instrument and hit her like a ball into the stands. She fell onto some fans that placed her next to the stairs. His vines grabbed her body and she was swung into the Fairy Tail watch box.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked. "Want me to heal you?"

"That would be great, thanks," Lia said as blood dribbled out the corner of her mouth. Wendy got to work as the other Fairy Tail members dotted over the severely injured mage.

Yury sprung out of his standing position, delivering a lightning charged uppercut. When Chaos fell backwards his was met with the armor clad knee of Reiki.

Yury turned toward the direction of the Fairy Tail watch box. "You may want to stay passive Lia but some of us still have some fight left in us. Join or not, Chaos will be handled with or without you." Reiki and Warrod flanked Yury.

"Angel Wings!" A faint white light appeared around everyone in the stadium. "You guys can do the grunt work while I heal. If we lose, my shield will disappear and everyone will be fed to Tartarus. I hope you don't have much of an appetite because we're-they're invincible together."

Chaos licked his lips. "Oh this will be good."

The five adversaries unleashed their magic and curses.

Watching Reiki, Fairy Tail could tell he surpassed Erza in skill and power with his Requip magic. Laxus surely inherited his proficient lighting abilities as Yury was dominated most of the beginning fight with lighting bullets and strikes. And Warrod, it seemed, had lied about his magic level as he easily kept up with the others, hitting Chaos with several tree attacks.

Reiki wasn't one to Requip into numerous armors like Erza. He usually relied on the dozens of weapons he owned for his defensive skills and magic resistance allowed him that flexibility. His most favored weapon was his trusty lance, which belonged to his father before he retired. Reiki slashed, cut and sliced Chaos in with high speed. Chaos used his vines to block most of his strikes. Warrod had sneaked up behind him; a large tree shot from underneath the ground sending Chaos flying into the air. Yury's lighting struck him before he could begin to fall back down.

At first, Lia stayed out of the battle, as she was known to do. With many of their battles, Lia remained on the sidelines as to preserve her magic energy as other opponents often tried to pick a fight after a battle had been completed. The other members of the team were usually worn out and low on magic by then, so Lia would take care of it with a little support from the others. It was a system they tried to implement in their current battle with Chaos but the devious demon wanted to lure Lia into the fight as well. Seeing her teammates struggle, she waited for the perfect time to issue an attack. Lia's guild mates waited for her to jump in. They had never seen Lia fully with her Spacetime magic. The few jobs she went on with them she let them take care of most of it only defending herself with her swords.

At that same moment Reiki had aimed one of his swords at Chaos's heart but it he had dodged it before it could hit the valuable muscle.

The three never let up with the onslaught of spells. "Earthquake!" The floor underneath them shifted as Chaos tripped. A tree log thrown by Warrod would have decapitated Chaos had he not moved a foot's length to his left to send a curse to Reiki. Warrod tackled Chaos and pressed a sharpened tree branch onto the left side of his upper back. Lia took that opening to conjure up a red arrow. "Five-Point Sniper!" It launched itself towards Chaos who slipped out of Warrod's grasp. Yury looked away as Warrod fell to his knees wailing in pain. "Warrod! Warrod I'm sorry," Lia said as she lifted the spell off her friend. Lia's special Five Point Sniper chooses five of the target's most painful memories then attaches itself to their pain receptors. The memories are converted to energy which latched onto the pain receptors and antagonizes them, turning into physical and mental pain for the victim. The target relives the memories all while they torment the victim. Most turned mad from the agony. Yury helped pull Warrod to his feet. He was mumbling incoherently under his breath about a fire.

Reiki stabbed Chaos multiple times through the heart but the demon king only chuckled at his attempts to kill him.

Chaos coughed up more blood. Smirking in scarlet, he kicked Reiki in the midsection. He shot up in the air and he punched him repeatedly. They traded blows, knocking teeth, breaking hands and releasing more splashes of blood in the process.

Reiki breathed deeply. "You've gotten some new tricks," he huffed out.

Chaos had a smug look. "And you're using the same old ones."

Reiki wiped more blood away. "Too lazy to come up with new ones."

A gash was on Chaos's face. He wiped the blood away with a handkerchief. After distracting Reiki by knocking him into a still mumbling Warrod, he set his sights on the lone female.

* * *

Part two of the battle with Chaos coming soon! Until next time :)


	14. Black Magic

Hello all. Second part of the battle with Chaos is here for your reading pleasures. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 14. Black Magic

"_Keep your back straight when you go to strike!" Her father yelled in her ear._

_She tried pushing herself more but failed once her opponent swept her legs from under her. She fell flat on her back; her father loomed over her. His face was blank but his eyes held disgust and disappointment. She stared back defiant._

"_I don't understand why I'm still doing these stupid training sessions. I should be with big brother," she complained._

"_Your brother already surpassed this level before you were even able to throw a proper punch. Get up and stop complaining. It's unbecoming." She hated it when her father trained her. She liked him better off the battlefield where he spoiled her senseless and competed with her stepfather over her. She was only a little girl. Well, as little as ten was. Why was she being subjected to tiring training? Why did they want her to be a soldier so badly?_

"_I'm tired. And thirsty," Her father sighed before allowing her to take a minute to rest._

"_Chibi-Lia." She looked up to see her mother, Ophelia standing over her. Ophelia bent down to her daughter's level. Mother and daughter were nearly identical, warranting the little girl's nickname, Chibi-Lia. Only difference was Ophelia's porcelain complexion verses Chibi-Lia's brown skin._

"_Listen to your father. He only wants what's best for you." Ophelia's calming and gentle nature helped to soothe her precious daughter. She summoned a servant to bring Chibi-Lia water. "Why can't I just go play like the other kids?"_

"_You're not like the other kids for one," her father said. He too squatted down to speak to her. "A lot of people would try to hurt you or take you away from us and there might come a time where there won't be anyone to protect you. Remember when those thieves in the forest tried to take you?" She nodded. "Well your brother might not be around next time. That's why you have to learn from now to fight." Chibi-Lia looked discontent with that answer._

"_Darling maybe your teachings are a little too harsh for her. You're treating her like your subordinates. We should try to find a more suitable teacher for her. She's too young and delicate for this kind of training right now." Her mother suggested._

"_Nonsense, her brother went through the same training at her age."_

_Ophelia rubbed her daughter's head. "I know darling but he's more hard natured. She takes after me."_

"_Hmm fine. But until then she will continue with me. Up you go Chibi-Lia," He pushed her up to her feet. She got into her fighting stance. "Again!" She threw a punch._

Warrod and Yury had formed a double team on Chaos while Reiki recuperated. Moments later, Reiki dove down from above Chaos after Yury and Warrod combined their magic for a unison raid. His sword drove into his already severely damaged abdomen.

"Chaos seems a lot stronger than Mard Geer. I don't see how they're twins except for the physical stuff," Gray commented.

Not giving him any more rest, Lia hoisted Chaos up hundreds of feet above the arena. Dropping her pointer finger she yelled, "Drop of Fear!" Chaos was sent crashing into the ground creating a small crater. When he got up, he flew into the air. Reiki flew with him using the boulders from his impact to launch at the demon. Reiki kicked them in Chaos's direction and hid behind them as well when he countered with his powerful curses.

Antony watched as Reiki blocked another of Chaos's curses. "Chaos may technically be Mard Geer's twin, but unlike Mard Geer, he has two creators or parents instead of one like most known demons. With the combined power of Zeref and his other parent, he is a more formidable demon than Mard Geer."

"Why would Zeref allow someone else to help make his demons?" Erza questioned.

"To make them stronger. With the power of two black wizards who are experts in living magic, any being they create would be stronger than any made from a single creator. You get the best of each parent. Many of the demons you've encountered are the product of Zeref and another," Antony explained.

"Like who else? And who's the other creator?"

"Someone that is no longer with us," Antony said then directed his attention to the battle above them.

The team was getting exhausted. They didn't imagine Chaos became so much more powerful since their last encounter. They needed to finish the fight before they ran out of magic energy.

Reiki jumped from rock to rock hundreds of feet in the air. He shouted "Blade Runner!" Seven swords appeared surrounding Chaos. The tips shot blasts of raw magic energy at the demon, and he landed back onto the arena floor.

"Alright! Never underestimate Fairy Tail!" Natsu along with the crowd.

"This is getting tedious," Reiki commented.

"Yeah and no matter what we try we just can't hit both his heart and head," Yury said.

"If I used my most powerful spell it might work but-" Reiki started.

"It would shatter my shield, endangering everyone. There's no guarantee it'll work and I wouldn't be able to make another shield if it doesn't," Lia finished from up above them.

Chaos was a special case among the Etherious demons. When created, Zeref and the other living magic mage wanted Chaos to be nearly impossible to kill. They made it so that Chaos could only die if both his heart and brain were lethally damaged at the exact same time. No matter how many times his heart was pierced or head punctured, he would continue to live without sign of death.

"Warrod, combo number three," Reiki said as he gripped his sword tighter in his hand.

Warrod nodded his head, summoning six rock formations around Chaos. Chaos recognized the formation and tried to maneuver out of the area.

"Too late," Reiki mocked as he launched his sword in between two of the rocks, hilt first. It bounced off, cutting at Chaos as it continued to bounce off each formation. By the time the sword dropped to the ground, Chaos was a bloody mess, dozens of tears in his clothing.

"Another successful Steel Cage. Always fool proof," Warrod high fived Reiki. They provided the perfect distraction for Yury to come in and hopefully finish the demon off.

Summoning an immense amount of energy, lightning danced on Yury's frame.

"Sorry for this Lia but I think this should finish him off. Acnologia!" The lightning formed into a massive yellow dragon, covering the size of the stadium. Dark clouds gathered, blocking out the sun. The Dragon King replica brought hurricane-like winds that caused to Reiki to be unstable in the air. Ferocious roars shook the city and uprooted dozens of trees and buildings. Coming to him at breakneck speed, it collided with the second demon king, lighting up the sky. Most of the lightning was concentrated to the brain and heart, but an uneven amount.

The crater from earlier had tripled in area. Smoke flooded the arena, making it hard to breathe and see properly.

Kicking rocks down the hole, Yury said, "Finally, he's gone."

Lia had a blank expression on her face as she said, "I don't feel-"

A hand caught Yury's leg. Lifting himself from the crater Chaos cackled. "You really have lost your touch Yury!" He latched onto him as he brought himself up from the ground. He had an insane look in his dark eyes. A look Yury unfortunately recognized. Dread seeped in.

Chaos was fed up with the one sided attacks. In his mind, he should have been the superior fighter since Reiki, Yury, Warrod hadn't fought in decades, and Lia hadn't progressed at all since she was sealed in the book. They may have had the advantage in numbers but he was supposed to be the most powerful one out of them. He had forgotten how formidable they were when together. He needed to do something extreme to come out of the fight alive.

Chaos looked toward the sky. Cupping his hands, a massive concussive burst of curse power erupted from his palms. "Thorn Curse: Revolution!"

Lia thought of projecting her shield to protect her three teammates but stopped when she saw Warrod's tree limbs making a cocoon like barrier. The end product was similar to a tightly packed, wicker ball. The shield was blown to bits when the curse hit, but the occupants where left unharmed.

Chaos let out a maniacal laugh. "Oh we've had our fun but I'm done playing with you. Let's end this before things get nasty hmm?"

Lia hesitated for a moment, unsure what they should do next

Golden blonde hair blew into Lia's view. She turned to see her younger sister Polly picking the leaves off a chrysanthemum. Polly smiled when she saw Lia watching her.

"It's weird seeing him old right?" She pointed her short slim finger to Reiki. Lia stood unmoved.

"Chaos sure is scary," she said. Chaos was barking out gulps of laughs as blood poured from his wounds. "I think he's gone more insane as time has passed. He's like a mad dog. Daddy always said you should put down mad dogs. Don't you remember? I think you should put him out of his misery before he hurts anyone else." Polly went to stand behind Chaos. She threw some of the petals onto his head and one tumbled into his breast pocket covering his left pectoral.

The wind blowing in Polly's hair traveled over to her big sister.

Lia conjured up another red arrow. Aiming it at the Etherious demon's head, Lia said, "Five-Point Sniper. Converge." The arrows broke off into five hitting the pressure points. Four of them shifted to melt into the one placed on the forehead. Chaos collapsed to his knees flooded with memories of his past sufferings, reliving them continuously. The remaining members of the Sinister Six sauntered over to the howling demon.

"This will hurt. Like a bitch," Yury warned.

Yury placed his hands on either sides of Chaos' head, yellow sparks breezing through his palms. His brain was overwhelmed with the brutality and overloaded.

Lia's key glowed and Chaos became inverted in color. Nodding to Yury, Reiki drove his hand into the back of Chaos. He ripped his hand out to reveal Chaos's bloody heart. His normal color returned and his head exploded from his neck, spraying bits all over the floor. At that same moment, Reiki squished the demon's still beating heart in his palm. The blood from his back soaked the foursome head to toe. Warrod grimaced as he wiped a splash of red substance from his face. Reiki remembered the first time he had seen Lia covered in blood and shivered at the memory. So long ago but still fresh in his mind. They casually stepped over his warm body, being careful not to slip in the puddle and waited for medical. The chrysanthemum floated down to Chaos. The stem poked his exposed spine. Lia fell to her knees as Angel Wings faded. She whispered into Reiki's ear, "Polly was here."

Reiki sent a cautionary look towards the distraught female. "Really?"

"Are you sure it wasn't your own personal Zera?" Yury questioned.

Warrod glanced over at his friend. "You're lucky Mavis isn't here to hear you say that."

Crime Sorcière had taken care of the other members of Tartarus under the cover of the Chaos battle. They left as soon as they came.

* * *

Grusome death scene. One of the reasons I changed the rating. Until next time :)


	15. Whatever Happened to Ophelia?

Hello all! We are officially into the third arc. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 15. Whatever Happened to Ophelia?

_Reiki and Lia sat side by side on the kitchen counter top. Yury had challenged all the men to a drinking contest and managed to drink most of them under the table. Reiki quit after six drinks not wanting to pass out in the guildhall. Lia agreed to stay up with him until he felt less hazy. She never had a drop of liquor, as she was a notorious lightweight who got drunk after two drinks._

"_Did you see your face when Yury downed another drink?! I didn't think a person's face could be green and red at the same time," Lia cackled hysterically. Reiki tried shoving her shoulder but with his sluggish coordination, she was able to move out the way in time. He landed face first onto the cold floor._

"_Fucking idiot! We know you can't hold your liquor now."_

_Reiki climbed his way back to the counter. When he was situated he said, "With how badly you bully me it's a wonder how I can be in love with you."_

_Lia chuckled without processing his words. "Yeah…_

_A silence fell._

_Lia's head snapped up. "Did you say… you're in love with me?"_

_Reiki burped before bobbing his head in a nod. "Took you long enough to notice, my little Chibi-Lia." His head drooped onto her shoulder. She had a pained expression._

"_Now why did you have to go and say that for?"_

_Lia dragged an out cold Reiki up to his room. She laid a kiss onto his forehead then cheek._

"_You know I've always loved you," she whispered._

Fairy Tail was preparing for the Fantasia Parade. October had come fast and they were quickly swept up in the excitement of the Harvest Festival.

They already had the Miss Fairy Tail Contest with Erza and Lucy tying for first place. Mirajane won second place and Lia got third place.

They were preparing the floats for the parade that evening and feast later.

Natsu sneezed. Flames shot out his nostrils and half of a float caught on fire. Juvia put out the flames while Gray started yet another fight with his rival.

"Break it up you two," Erza punched both of them in the head, pausing the fight shortly.

"Flame brain ruined the floats! We've been working weeks on those things and he goes and burns another one!"

"It's not my fault! It was an accident." Gray got another punch in before being subdued by Erza.

Makarov's eyes roamed over the charcoaled float. "We still have time to fix it before the parade. Someone get to work on that." Lia walked out of the kitchen. She had been helping Mirajane all morning make the dishes for the feast that night. Mirajane had gone out to get more supplies from the market and had left the Spacetime wizard to man the kitchen while she was gone.

"Whoa what happened to the float?" Lia asked.

Erza held up a bruised Natsu. "He happened."

"Damnit Natsu. That's the ninth one this week," Cana stated.

"We should keep him outside until the festival starts," Lily said.

Natsu sniffed the air. "Hey, what's burning?"

"Is it the fish?!" Happy screeched in panic.

"Oh shit!" Lia screeched. She ran back to the kitchen. All the ovens had smoke escaping from them. She got the fire extinguisher and put out the flames. Everyone crowded into the large roomy kitchen.

"Looks like we got two fire starters now," Cana said while sipping on her drink.

Lia's shoulders slumped. Natsu wrapped his arm around them. "Hey don't let them get to you. It's not our fault we can't control the flames." Lia pushed his arm off and went to take the burned food out the ovens.

Gajeel tasted the smoked ham. He spat it out. "This tastes like crap!"

Lia groaned. "I told Mirajane I was bad at cooking. I was very content just being her assistant and watching the ovens but noooo."

Lia lifted up a cake from one of the ovens. "Here's your strawberry cake Erza. I have to frost it first before you can eat it though."

Erza's eyes gleamed as she licked her lips.

"Oh dear. What happened in here?" Mirajane walked into the kitchen weaving her way around the crowd of guild mates.

"Lia's cooking sucks." Happy blurted out. Lia swatted him into a wall.

Mirajane tasted some of the food Lia had been working on. She grimaced.

"I have to say it's not that appetizing." Mira eyed the cookies Lia had frosted, "you were right Lia maybe you should just decorate the desserts."

"Where is everyone?" The guild mates exited the kitchen to see members from Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth, and Quatro Puppy in their guildhall. With them were four of the Wizard Saints, Jura, Reiki, Warrod and Yury. They had come to watch the parade and dine at the feast.

Before the official start of the festival members from Fairy Tail were gathered in the guildhall in their costumes for the parade.

Lia was in a long red robe and blue top pointy wizard hat with the moon and stars. She would be on a float with the other three Miss Fairy Tail winners.

She walked up to Reiki who was conversing with Gildarts and the other older members of the guild. "Hey. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He nodded his consent and they walked out by the pool away from everyone.

"What is-" He was cut off with a steamy kiss from Lia.

He gently pushed her off. She leaned in for another kiss but was pushed further back.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm too old for this. For you." His frown further wrinkled his ancient face.

"Old? I don't see you as old?" Reiki searched her face before getting an angry look in his eyes.

"Really Lia? You put an illusion on me?"

Lia looked down avoiding his disgruntled expression.

"How long?" He asked.

"Since the Wizard Celebration opening. I put one on Yury and Warrod too."

"What can't handle that we left you behind?" He had a harsh and brash tone.

Hurt set in Lia's eyes.

Reiki sighed. "I still kinda hate you for what you did back then." He was referring to right before she was sealed inside Zeref's book.

"Hate?"

"Yes, hate Ophelia." She took a step back.

"It was selfish, reckless and insensitive. You abandoned us-"

"I saved your lives!"

"I didn't want to go!" He screamed back at her.

"I wanted to stay. With you. But you made the decision by yourself. You willingly gave up your life. And for what? It didn't work and now here we are.

He turned to leave. "Our romance has been over for over a hundred years." Reiki left her standing by the pool.

Tears built up in Lia's eyes. "For you. It's only been over for you." The tears didn't leaked down her cheeks in a steady stream. She only allowed one to slip down her face. There were worse things to cry about, she thought to herself. She sat at the edge of the pool and stared at the moon's reflection in the water.

"I truly am alone in this world now aren't I?"

"No you're not." Natsu stood over her. She cried some more, embarrassed that he might have heard the conversation between her and Reiki.

"I heard. That's rough."

She didn't respond back for a while. She could hear everyone getting the floats out of the guild to start the parade.

"I miss my family. My friends," Lia croaked.

"What about the guild?"

Lia shook her head. "What about it? I feel like a visiting stranger. I'm not part of this era. I've seen so many people die before me while I had to remain here without them. I would cut my own throat if it wasn't for the fact that I still have to complete the mission my mother bestowed upon me before her death…

"I was just thrown into this world without as much as a warning. I don't know this place. Everything is different. The guild is different. My friends are different. Two of best friends are dead. The others have grown so much without me to the point where Reiki wants nothing to do with me. I just don't want to do this anymore; pretend as if I'm not miserable when I really don't want this. I just want my old life back but that was destroyed the day I saw the true nature of the world."

Natsu's hands clenched. Reiki really did a number on her. He was furious that he made Lia cry and made her feel depressed and alone. He was surprised to hear her expressing her feelings. Usually she stayed nonchalant and reserved. Even then when she cried she held in most of her tears. Now that he thought about it, they didn't really know anything about her. Sure, she told them little tidbits here and there, but she never went into details, telling them as little as possible. He wondered what else he didn't know about her.

"You may not have your old life anymore but what makes you so sure you can't start a new one?"

Lia sniffled.

"You told us you moved to a new country and left everything behind when you were a kid. It must have been hard to do that but isn't this the same thing? A hundred years have gone by and now you have to start over again. You may not have your old friends anymore but we'll gladly rise up and be there for you. No one can replace them trust me I know but you can find new happiness with us. Don't give up on us yet Lia. We're just getting started."

Lia launched herself into Natsu's arms giving him a bone-crushing hug. He wheezed trying to find air to breathe. She released him and gave him a tightlipped smile once she realized how forward she was being.

"Thank you."

"Hey dry those tears. Or tear. You look kinda ugly when you cry. No one wants to see a crying wizard. People might leave then the parade will be ruined!"

Lia went to slap him in the face but he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the floats.

The Fantasia Parade was a beautiful affair and the town celebrated later with an outdoor feast.

Later that night the guild took the festivities back to the guildhall for a Karaoke night. Gajeel stormed the stage and they were subjected to his awful signing until Mira stole the mic from him.

"Hey Lucy," Erza leaned closer to the blonde. "What's going on with you and Loke?"

Lucy's cheeks reddened. "Huh? Nothing. We're just hanging out. We are friends."

"It's not good to lie Lucy," Erza chided. "But I always thought you had a thing for Natsu. What happened with that?"

Lucy sipped her ice tea. She watched as Natsu and the other boys had a drinking contest across the hall. "That's over with."

"Why?" Erza asked concerned.

"After the guild disbanded and Natsu and Happy left without saying goodbye I felt so alone." Lia felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She too had dealt with loneliness.

"Loke would always come out and comfort me. He was the one who suggested I go to work for Wizard Weekly so I wouldn't be so bored without everyone. He helped me train and kept me company. Eventually we just… came together. I couldn't hold onto my feelings for Natsu because I felt he had betrayed my trust in some way. It's silly but I still haven't quiet forgiven him for leaving me like that. I would have liked to have gone with him instead on being left behind. Anyways we're good now but I don't like him anymore."

'_Is that how Reiki felt? When I let them go without me?'_ Lia silently watched Mira sing on stage.

Soon enough everyone was drunk and dancing on the tables and floor. Cana laughed loudly when Levy fell over and her skirt flew up.

Somehow, everyone wounded up outside and they drunkenly sang at the top of their lungs disturbing the townspeople nearby.

Mira stopped dancing when she noticed something odd. "Lia, what's wrong with you?"

Lia didn't hear her and continued to dance with Lucy and Erza. The rest of the guild watched the Spacetime mage body slowly disappear from view. Her body looked as if it was disintegrating and turning invisible. Lucy screamed at the sight startling Reiki who dropped his glass at the sight of his ex.

Lia swirled around and saw everyone watching her in horror. "What's wrong?"

They pointed to her and she looked down at her hands that were almost gone.

"What's going on? Why am I-" Lia vanished into the cool night air.

Fairy Tail was rooted into the ground not knowing what to do or think.

* * *

Yay! Should I be saying yay since my OC just disappeared into thin air? Anyways until next time :)


	16. Into the Past

Hello all. I promise I'm not abandoning this story. I had to plan the 4th arc and was with the last few weeks of school and graduation.

I've come up with names of the arcs for future references. Arc 1: Genesis chapters 1-8. Arc 2: Saints chapters 9-14. Arc 3: Past chapters 16-22.5

* * *

Chapter 16. Into the Past

Ultear worked on her garden on a cloudy day. The weather had been most accommodating. Despite it being the beginning of December it was nice and hot outside with no snow falling for weeks. That's what troubled her. Though the warmer weather was easier on her brittle bones, it left an uneasy feeling because she knew it was unnatural.

The weather had been acting strange all over. Not only in Fiore but also the rest of the world. It was snowing in the desert, hot high up in the mountains and stormy everywhere else.

Buildings vanished. People collapsed out of nowhere. More demons sprung up and the Magic Council could hardly contain them. They ravaged cities and towns, killing thousands of people. Homes crumbled as if they were never lived in and babies were born without the mother even knowing she was pregnant.

The world was having a panic attack and for good reason. It all started to go to shit after the sudden disappearance of the S-class wizard Ophelia. Witnesses said it looked as if a piece of her started turning invisible until the whole thing was gone.

The Magic Council concluded that someone somewhere had messed with her timeline and investigated the issue. A cult of Zeref opposers, that happened to be Spacetime mages, was found to behind the heinous crime. After seeing the display that Lia put on during the Annual Wizard Celebration, they decided she needed to be eradicated. Actually, they first tried to go back and kill Zeref multiple times but failed at each attempt. They then turned their sights to the other black mage they thought was conspiring with The Killing Mage. Somehow, someway, they managed to kill Lia years before she was placed inside the book, causing a ripple and several wounds in time. It needed to be fixed before it became permanent and the world would suffer immensely for it.

Members of Fairy Tail and Jura Neekis made their way over to the little cottage on the hill that Ultear lived in. After getting word from the council that they would be entrusted with putting time back to normal since it was their member that was the victim of the crime, they tried to figure out the best way to go about. To their surprise, Mavis Vermillion showed up at the guild one day, _alive,_ saying she had the only solution to the problem.

"Hello hello. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Ultear asked. She was glad to see Gray again whom she hadn't spoken to since the Grand Magic Games.

"We've come to ask you for a favor," Gray answered.

Ultear quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She shuffled them inside the cozy cottage. It was large enough for them all to fit and still have room to move around freely.

"As you might have noticed, the world has become… different over the past few weeks," Jura started.

"Yes. I've noticed the disturbances. I wrote it off as another wizarding problem that would soon be fixed. But I can see I was wrong in my assessment, since all of you have shown up here," Ultear mused.

"Well to put it short, everything you now know will change forever if we don't fix it now. Ophelia disappeared a while ago and ever since the world has drastically changed. We believe a group of Zeref opponents went back in time and killed her. Since it happened so long ago, it's taking time a while to catch up with the present day. Her premature death will soon cause time to collapse and we will all be lost forever," Jura explained with a somber tone.

"All the disturbances is time trying to fix itself," Mavis interjected. "Unfortunately, time can't be fixed properly without the aid of a Spacetime wizard. Soon all the distortions will accumulate and Earth-Land will be lost in time."

"I can see the problem. But what can I do? I only use Arc of Time. It won't be able to fix time. I could barely rewind time and look what it cost me," Ultear gestured to her rapidly aged body. To go from young and vibrant to old and slow was death in itself. But, she dealt with it knowing she had to repent for her sins.

"Since you wield the ability to control some aspects of time we believe if you combine your Arc of Time magic with this Spacetime lacrima you should be able to open a portal to the past. I've written a spell that should work." Mavis cradled the lacrima that contained the Spacetime magic. "I better get started then," Ultear said.

Mavis stopped them before they could proceed into the portal. "Now listen very carefully. The time you're going to is not at all like you're used to. It's dangerous and vicious and I need you all to be cautious while there. As soon as you get there try to find anyone of us, meaning the Sinister Six. Avoid contact with any demons or… other things and just try to find Lia as soon as you can. It's imperative that you stick close to her at all times and _never_ stray away from any of us. The level that the magic world was back then is unparalleled to today and you won't be able to handle the threats they had. Don't mention anything about my death to Lia, or her being in the book, or anything that's not on a need to know basis. And whatever you do, avoid Zeref. He's not the crybaby you met before. Nor is he as inactive as now. He will kill you if he doesn't know of your intentions. We only had enough for a one-way trip so you'll have to complete the mission successfully or you'll be stuck back then forever. Only Lia can send you back unless you can find another willing Spacetime wizard. Here, take this. It has a recording of me on it explaining everything so she'll believe you and be filled in." Mavis handed Erza a lacrima.

Team Natsu plus Gajeel, Juvia, Mirajane, and Laxus prepared themselves. The entire guild was worried sick over Lia and wanted her back home as soon as possible. They were willing to risk being trapped in a different time to save her. Lisanna would have gone as well as Cana and Levy but Lisanna still wasn't well. Cana and Levy opted to stay and look after Lisanna with Elfman.

"One more thing," Mavis stopped them again. "The Lia you're about to meet is different from the one you know. To be honest we all were. So be careful okay? She won't be as friendly as she is now."

Everyone else wished them luck. They ventured into the time portal and walked out on the other side of time.

With varying degrees of shock, they reacted to their new environment. It certainly didn't look like the world they knew. The land was barren and filled with fire. The sky was dark and smoked. They saw dragons flying overhead, dozens of them everywhere. The first generation gasped at the sight. They wondered if any of their foster parents were up there as well. If they would run into them and get to spend time with them.

They wandered around for a while. Walking several miles until they came upon a town that seemed uninhabited. It wasn't until they saw a five story high demon that they understood why. The townspeople hid inside their homes and businesses inside cellars and steeled basements.

Forgetting Mavis's warning, the Fairy Tail mages went to attack but halted as they saw someone had already beaten them to the punch.

They watched as she ran up the length of its arm shooting blasts of magic on her way up. Recognizing the spells and magic type, they congratulated themselves on finding her so soon. They saw a look in her eyes they had only seen once before. The same look she had when fighting Chaos. Within minutes, the giant demon was dead beneath her feet and she made to leave.

"Lia! Lia!" Natsu yelled as they chased her down.

She came to a stop and turned her head steadily to look over her shoulder at them. They saw that she looked slightly younger than the one they knew. Maybe 18?

"What did you call me?" Her words were clipped and cold.

"…Lia. That's your name isn't it?" Lucy nervously asked. Maybe she was called something different back then. Maybe only people she knew were allowed to call her Lia.

She spun on her heels to face them. Accessing them with her eyes, she said, "Who are you? What are your intentions? You come to me as if you know me but I don't have the faintest idea as to who you are and don't take kindly to strangers as suspicious as you." She held a sword to Lucy's Adams apple. She was afraid to swallow.

"We're from Fairy Tail," Erza said in a calm manner.

Lia's eyes narrowed.

"You say you're from Fairy Tail but that can't be so. For one, Fairy Tail does not exist. And two, I know everyone in Fairy Tail." She pointed the blade closer to Lucy's throat drawing blood.

"I don't understand. How can it not exist but you know everyone in it?" Wendy asked. She couldn't be afraid of Lia. She was her friend. Even if this one before her didn't know her yet, she knew she would never do anything to intentionally hurt her or the others.

"Well that's simple. Fairy Tail won't exist for years."

"Oh. This must before the guild was formed."

"Yeah… I'm still not too sure if I can trust you. Why are you here?"

Laxus answered. "Mavis sent us."

"Mavis? Hey wait… you look like…" She tightened the grip on her sword. "Why would Mavis send you here?"

"Here we have a message from her." Erza handed the Lacrima to Lia and she held it with her free hand. As the future version of her friend explained the situation to her, she dropped her blade. When the message finished she gave the lacrima back. "That... doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't?" Mira asked.

The Spacetime mage was visibly troubled. "Time is linear. If I was killed in the past, around this time, and you say you knew me before I disappeared in your past, you shouldn't remember me and time should have rewritten itself to fit the new history. It doesn't make sense that the future is collapsing. It only collapses when it has been manipulated or interfered with too much. You shouldn't even be here to 'fix' anything. This is a paradox. This shouldn't be happening right now… unless…" she trailed off. Her eyes lit up as an idea formed in her head.

"What is it?" Gray asked.

Lia pulled out a key hanging on a chain. It was lustrous and jeweled with precious stones. She stared at it for a minute, her eyes flashing. "Nothing," she said as she tucked it back under her shirt.

"Alright, well I guess you guys can follow me. For now. But don't call me Lia. Or Ophelia for that matter. I don't go by that in this time."

Puzzled, Erza asked, "What year is it?"

"It's 400 hundred years before your time."

"Four hundred years?!" Wendy yelled.

"What are you doing in this time?" Gray asked.

Lia looked amused. "She really didn't tell you? Wow, I guess I have to take care of everything like usual.

"You can call me Devi. Devi of the Seven Deadly of the Ancient World."

* * *

Big reveal. With even bigger within the rest of the arc. Until next time :)


	17. The Beast Above

Hello all! First things first let get the thanks out of the way.

kurahieiritr JIO: I'm actually glad I had the idea of putting the dragons in before you mentioned it lol. The name is ridiculously long and I will never say it again.

Guest: thank you. I hope I can keep up the excitement for you

Thank you to joesluis,medinavivanco and Lothoredien for following/favoriting.

Now the reasons for this late update is because I actually lost all the chapters I hadn't posted yet :(. I had to rewrite them all from memory. Thank god I hadn't deleted the summaries I made for each of them. Now I know to back everything up to a flashdrive or two.

And this is for any manga readers who are currently caught up: This story will not follow the manga after chapter 420 as it conflicts with what I had planned _**immensely, **_pertaining to certain character relationships, backstories and plot.

* * *

Chapter 17. The Beast Above

Devi shifted her feet in the gravel while the group from Fairy Tail tried to comprehend what she had said.

She was Devi. It rang through their thoughts without a pause.

The normally chill girl that had disappeared before their eyes was replaced with a seemingly cold-blooded warrior from their storybooks. They all recalled the fanatical adventures she and the rest of the Seven Deadly went on. Gildarts, after learning of their limited history of the group, held an impromptu story telling session to feed their unnourished minds. How they fought demons and dragons all while, shielding the people of yesterday with their hardened bodies from the fires of hell until their fate was lost amongst forgotten history. Mei and Devi were the only members besides Zeref who had solid endings, dying to save Earth-Land from endless threats. But obviously, that part of the fairy tale was conjured up because the living legend stood before them unharmed and shared a destiny with Lia, the girl in the book.

Erza's brow was furrowed. "You're Devi? Our Lia is…"

The levelheaded red head was unusually shaky in her speech.

Devi held up a hand before she could continue. "We'll have to continue this while walking. We have to make it back to the hideout before nightfall or else it'll be too dangerous to travel." Her silver hair switched back and forth, as she strode away from the group. It reached the end of her back, significantly longer than the Lia they knew. Wendy noticed it was a little shorter than Lia's hair before it was cut. Most of the length had to be taken off, for it was too damaged from whatever had burned her before she was placed in the book. They ran to catch with her quick steps.

"How is that possible? We didn't even know you could time travel or maybe you just never age?" Lucy stumbled alongside Devi. Devi quirked an eyebrow in her direction. Lucy squirmed under her piercing gaze until she tore her eyes away.

"What exactly did Lia tell you?" She spoke of her future self as if she was another person entirely. And as they traveled past barren fields that were singed from blazing fires and saw her unmoving expression, they felt more comfortable with the idea.

"That you guys used to slay demons," came Wendy's simplified version. Devi snorted at the younger girl's answer.

"Well we do more than slay demons."

"Why didn't she ever tell us?" Lucy wondered.

The ancient world was a frightening place indeed. Towns were scattered throughout the lands but the dwellers rarely left their domain, as it was too dangerous to travel. Some starved from lack of food or water as most of the rivers or lakes dried up from the numerous fires the dragons caused. Everything was so different from the Fiore they knew and they thanked the heavens that they didn't grow up in a world like it. Even though their time was turning into shambles from the disputes among the wizards and demons, they didn't have it half as bad as the people then did.

"She probably thought you guys couldn't handle it. I can't blame her really, because the looks on your faces right now are quite aggravating. If you guys are going to stick around here for a while then you'll have to pull up your big kid pants and let go of your fears. You'll never survive here if you don't and I don't have time for dead weight." Her voice was matter of fact but they still flinched.

"Are you saying she didn't trust us?" Juvia asked.

"Look either she didn't trust you or she didn't know how you would react. Don't be so worried. Worry about 'protecting' me or else the Lia you know will never be." There was an inkling of kindness hidden beneath her harsh words. It gave them hope that they could find a way to get along with Devi while they were stuck in the past. Like she said, if they didn't protect her and find the ones that assassinated her, not only would they never know her anymore but they would be doomed to live out their days in ancient times.

Devi would have flown the rest of the way back in Metahuman form, as it was only way she could fly, to the hideout but with her surprise guests she found herself trekking through land she had never stepped foot in. Metahuman was one of the three forms the three Holy Black Magic mages could all use. It increased damage output, resistance and magic power for a short amount of time. Devi usually avoided those areas as they teemed with demons she was not ready yet to take on by herself. The demon she faced when Fairy Tail found her was a low level. Massive in size but lacked an advanced mind to be a proper threat. Prance insisted upon accompanying her or one the others but she persuaded him to stay behind, as she knew she could handle it on her own. He seldom let her out of his sight, not sure she was ready to fight on her own without backup. It was only two years prior that they went back to the time they had left behind to help fight. History told them it was a part of their destiny. The majority of Devi's training had been in defense. Her defensive skills were unparalleled. She had a large supply of magic power. Because of that, her offensive training was limited to lower level spells and incantations until she could control her magic output properly without causing too much destruction. The first six years of the three Holy Black Magic mages, Living, Spacetime and Soul, their magic was in a dormant state. They went through a special 'ritual' to awaken their magic through emotional, mental or physical means.

When they fled their home country, Prance found little use of continuing her lessons. She no longer had an anxious family that wanted her skills to develop to the point where she could rival her mother, who was renowned in her time for being the strongest Spacetime wizard the world had seen in 200 hundred years. Ophelia had lost most of her power when Devi was a toddler, however, and the family needed a new heir to be the face of the clan. The wizarding clans Devi was born into treasured strength above all and united their lines to make the unprecedented combination that was her brother and she. Their clans hadn't intermarried since their clans came into power. The years Devi could remember were spent pouring over ancient scripts and texts and honing her abilities. Their younger sister had the privilege they didn't of a normal childhood with next to no formal training. Polly was deemed upon her birth, unfit to fight and had little magic talent. It did not help that she was only their half-sister, born of a father from a less powerful wizarding family whose powers always skipped every three generations. At the age of ten, Devi was permitted to join her brother on missions. Before there were guilds, there were powerful wizarding families. Most countries were run by their domestic clans; the younger members taking on odd jobs and missions to gain practical experience.

During the journey to the hideout, Devi tried her best to be cordial and asked them many questions. She finally got around to asking their names and magic when they were halfway to their destination.

"You four are dragon slayers right?" She asked Laxus, Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy.

"How'd you know?" Gajeel asked.

"I grew up around some of the first dragon slayers. It's hard not to spot them."

"The first dragon slayers were around in this time. I guess it's safe to assume you're also from here?" Natsu stated.

Devi gave a secretive smirk. "It's very safe to say, child of Igneel." She laughed aloud at his amazed expression. "Deducing you're dragon slayers also goes along with knowing which dragon you belong to.

She paused briefly for a moment as if she had a sudden idea. "Actually, we're coming up on a spot where we meet some of our dragon allies. If you don't mind the wait, you could meet your parents if you want."

Wendy's eyes brimmed with tears at the thought of seeing Grandeeney again. She squeezed Carla to her chest and bobbed her head excitedly up and down.

Gajeel was speechless as Lily patted his arm, trying to stir him from his thoughts.

"My old man is here?" Natsu whispered.

Devi nodded. She pointed to a large open field a ways away. The group ran to the edge of the field. Natsu made his way to the middle of the field bouncing around; smelling the air for the dragons.

"This explains why time was as effected by your murder as it was. I couldn't figure out why until now," Erza commented.

The rest of Fairy Tail marveled at the sudden transformation of Devi. She was acting like the Lia they knew and couldn't be more pleased with her unexpected personality switch.

"But if you say time shouldn't be effected that drastically, I wonder what could cause our memories to stay intact?" Erza questioned. Devi shrugged.

A dark shadow made its way toward the field Fairy Tail was. Devi's content smile vanished from her face as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

"Not now…" she mumbled. Erza looked towards her. "What is it?"

Devi shook her head. "Natsu! Get back here immediately!"

Natsu stopped spinning and looked to their guide. "Why? Igneel is gonna be here soon!"

"Damnit Natsu just do as I say!" Devi fast walked over to Natsu hoping to reach him before…

Natsu's head shot up to the figure passing over the trees. Fairy Tail gasped and trembled at the intruder. Flashes of helpless memories poured into their minds as they watched Devi try to make it to Natsu.

Devi ran the rest of the way to Natsu, pushing him behind her just as Acnologia landed in front of them.

The trees behind his tail were uprooted. The ground quaked and the air swirled with flying dirt. The dragon king made his presence known with a simple landing.

Acnologia opened his mouth to speak, showing off a set of sharpened teeth.

"You dare protect this monstrosity?" He glared down at Devi. Natsu tried to move from behind her but she pushed him back more.

"That's rich coming from you," she slid in a private jab lost onto the ears of the others.

"Do not play dumb with me Chibi-Lia. You found him didn't you? And you somehow made him older? While your skills are impressive I'm afraid I'll have to destroy your handy work. Step aside; you know I cannot harm you."

Acnologia tried to move her out of the way but she dodged it. "You wouldn't dare," she hissed. "I fought you once and I'll do it again if I have to."

"You think you can match up to me in my present form? Chibi-Lia even when I was a human you had no chance. Don't be stupid."

"Don't be so sure Acnologia. We are cut from the same cloth remember? Our first encounter was obviously going to be uneven as I had little to no prior battle experience." Devi stood her ground.

"He killed Igneel!" Natsu blurted out. Fire slipped from his mouth as he tried to attack Acnologia but Devi stopped him before he could lay a finger on the dragon king.

"Calm down Natsu! Igneel is fine he's…"

"And I shall kill you." Acnologia sucked up the air.

His dragon's roar was as devastating as it was on Tenrou Island. Fairy Tail closed their eyes, knowing they failed in their mission and would be ascending to heaven any second.

To their shock, they were alive after Acnologia's attack.

Devi, on instinct alone, had casted her Angel Wings protection spell. She had Natsu wrapped in her arms as Acnologia stood above them. He flew away, finding it bothersome to try to deal with the fire dragon slayer with Devi around. He wished not to inflict the wrath of Zeref if Devi was caught in the crossfire.

The impact of roar shattered the shield. The first time Angel Wings had been destroyed. Devi lay unconscious on the grass. The power of Acnologia's roar had depleted her magic power. Fairy Tail remembered the consequences of Angel Wings and raced to her side. They didn't understand how Devi could have protected them from Acnologia. The power levels between the Lia they know and Devi was perplexing. When Lia used Angel Wings against Cain Genesis she collapsed shortly after. Devi also collapsed just then but the power of Cain and Acnologia should not even be compared. Devi was obviously stronger than their Lia. Something must have happened to weaken her between then and the time she was placed inside the book. As they recalled, the Seven Deadly in the legends were revered for extensive amounts of magic power.

Truth be told, Acnologia only used two-thirds the normal of power in his roar. He knew Devi would stay in his way and knew she would survive if he turned down the damage output. He had hoped Natsu wouldn't have been so lucky but should have predicted Devi using Angel Wings to protect him and the rest of Fairy Tail from his rage.

Both of Devi's eyes had turned completely black. They were glossy as doll eyes and stared up at the sky above, as their owner was in a peaceful sleep.

Three more shadows moved to the field. They landed near the huddled group.

Gajeel surveyed the arrivals.

"Metalicana…"

* * *

Next chapter sneak peak: more dragons, more of the seven deadly and a trip to the hospital. Until next time :) R&amp;R


	18. Where the Sun Doesn't Shine

Hello all. Back to regular updates(hopefully).

kurahieiritr JIO: The problem with Natsu is he's so immature and it's hard to write for him as he rarely thinks before acting. I hope I can mature his character by the end. There won't be much more interaction with the dragons unfortunately. They won't show up again until the next arc I think. A training session would have been cool but unneeded to be honest as the dragons already have humans their training because they're right in the middle of the dragon civil war and wouldn't have time for that.

Thank you to WomanOfFlames for favoriting.

* * *

Chapter 18. Where the Sun Doesn't Shine

All eyes were on the three looming figures above them. It was only two years previous that they had seen the parents of the resident Fairy Tail dragon slayers. The three dragons shifted their eyes onto the humans, unnerved by their response to their presence. Three of them smelled like them. They tried to recall crossing their path before but came up short. They could sense dragon slayer magic in them, and with their supposed friendship with Devi, they suspected they could be from another time. A future where they were intimate enough to shed tears for them.

"Igneel…" Natsu's voice caught in his throat as he tried to hold in his tears. His fists clenched the scarf his beloved father had given him. Igneel fixed him with a stare.

"Human, what is my relation to you?" The Fire Dragon King asked.

Natsu hesitated. Mavis said to avoid revealing any information that was not on a need to know basis. However, if they managed to save the future it wouldn't matter if they knew or not since they won't remember the encounter, as to all they interacted in the past, it never happened in their timeline. Wendy took the initiative and answered for him. "We're," pointing to herself, Gajeel and Natsu, "Your children. You raised us from when we were very little and taught us magic. It's… It's great to see you again Grandeeney!" Wendy ran and hugged the female dragon who was caught off guard with the show of affection. "I missed you so much! I've become stronger since I last saw you. I know you don't know me yet but thank you for everything you've done for me. I love you Grandeeney," Wendy whispered the last part into her foster mother's scales.

Gajeel and Natsu finally broke their silence and shared embraces with their dragons as well. After explaining the situation, the dragons gave them a ride to the Seven Deadly hideout, which happened to be where future Magnolia would be, as it was not formed yet. They flew slowly to prevent anyone from falling off. Devi woke up mid-flight to see Gajeel lying flat on Metalicana, a content smile on his lips. She still felt disoriented and weak; Acnologia's roar had severally damaged her magic supply. If he had his normal strength, they would surely all be dead and the mission a failure. They landed near a large shack emitting a high amount of magical energy. A magic barrier similar to the one around Devi's house was placed around it, not allowing any unwanted visitors inside. The shack door burst opened and out came Yury much to their surprise. "Oi! Who said you could ride our dragons?" He leaned up against the doorframe with his youthful body, mimicking the severe look they often saw from Makarov and Laxus. "Who the bloody hell are all these people? This one looks like you!" Laxus sneered at the green mage.

"Oh, yeah he does." Mavis had floated out of the shack to examine the resemblance between the two lightning mages. "I'm his great grandson", Laxus bluntly stated. Gasps were heard from the founding Fairy Tail members as they looked between the two for confirmation. Yury's jaw was slacked in amazement. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Yury shouted.

Laxus gestured to Devi who Natsu had bridal style in his arms. Mavis let out a tiny gasp at the state of her friend. "You told us to come back here to save her and we are. Our time got fucked up because some Spacetime cult came back and killed her." Fairy Tail sweat dropped at Laxus's candid explanation. "What's this about Spacetime wizards?" Reiki asked as he stepped out of the shake with Pretch closely behind. Pretch raised an eyebrow at the arrivals but all together stayed silent. "And what did you do to Devi?" Reiki held an accusing look in his gaze.

"It was not the humans, Prance, but Acnologia," Igneel clarified.

"Acnologia?" Mavis spoke surprised. She and the original members shared a silent conversation through looks. "We were minutes away from our usual meeting spot when he attacked, going after the pink haired boy," Metalicana explained.

"And why would he do that?" Pretch directing his question to Natsu.

"I don't know but that bastard has tried killing all of us before. In our time."

"He almost succeeded too. Until you saved us Mavis," Lucy praised.

"Me?" Mavis asked.

"Yes, with Fairy Sphere," Erza confirmed.

Warrod clapped Mavis on the shoulder. "Hey you finally perfected the spell!"

Pretch drew closer to the group. "Not that we don't believe your story but we'll need more than just your words to trust."

Erza nodded in understanding and took out the lacrima with the recording of future Mavis. The founders gathered round the lacrima. "You think she would have croaked by then…" Yury thought out loud. He received a slap from the tiny blonde.

The future of Fairy Tail tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't give anything away. They had to protect the future as much as possible if they couldn't save Lia and nothing would be fixed. Gray replied after a short silence. "Well… they say everything in our time went crazy. We were just as surprised when she showed up at the guild. Plus all of you are alive in our time too." Future Fairy Tail wondered why the Sinister Six weren't the least bit fazed by Mavis's young appearance.

They seemed to accept Gray's explanation when Reiki took Devi out of Natsu's arms and had them follow him inside. The dragons took their leave as the dragon slayers felt a pang in their hearts at their departure.

The shack was roomy and neat with various doors stairs leading to an upstairs. Reiki put Devi in one of the rooms upstairs to recuperate without disturbance. When he came back, Mavis steered the conversation back to Acnologia.

"Why would Acnologia attack even if he was after Natsu? He knows he's not supposed to."

"Why isn't he first master?" Erza asked.

"Acnologia fears the wrath of Zeref. He would never purposely hurt any of us. If Zeref hears of this he could have serious consequences."

"I didn't know Zeref had any control over Acnologia," Lucy admitted.

"Future Mavis did tell us once that Zeref was the one who summoned him to the island…" Mira said.

"Tenrou Island?" Mavis asked.

"Yes. He attacked us after…" Erza sent a nervous look over to Pretch who was thankfully not looking in her direction. "After we had just defeated a dark guild bent on waking Zeref up. Shortly after, we were blind-sided by his assault. It was then that you used Fairy Sphere to protect Fairy Tail."

"Why would Zeref not want Acnologia to kill any of you?" Gray questioned.

"We have an agreement with him," Warrod answered.

"Why in the hell would you make any deal with that guy?" Natsu boomed.

Gray thought to himself that the deal must have been void in their time because Zeref clearly didn't give a crap about Hades when he killed him. It was also just two years away from when Lia was trapped inside the book since the one upstairs was 18. Now that he thought about it, Lia did mention once that Mavis died shortly before she was sealed away. Was there a connection? He bet that Zeref went back on their deal and royally fucked them over.

"When you live in a dark world you have to make deals with the devil," Yury uttered. Laxus cut his eyes to him. "What a saint you are," he said. "What was that?" Yury demanded. Laxus turned his head and defiantly said, "You heard me."

"Why you little brat-" Yury jumped out of his seat. Warrod held him down before his temper heightened.

"Calm down Flash. Don't let this punk get to you. You'll dishonor yourself and the group by fighting with your descendent," Reiki lectured with his eyes closed. He opened them when Lucy said, "Flash?!" The Seven Deadly let out collective sighs in exasperation.

"I see Devi didn't get that far before she passed out. Yes we're the rest of Seven Deadly besides emo death kid," Prance grumbled.

"Reiki is Prance, Yury is Flash, Pretch is Brutus, Warrod is Arc and I'm Mei," Mavis listed.

"I can't believe this," Lucy said. "You're all legendary heroes from the ancient world and we all thought you were just the founders of our guild."

"Makes me wonder what else we don't know or realize," Erza voiced.

Brutus got up from his chair. "I have an inkling you'll be having quite a history lesson during your time here. I'm going to bed. Set up the living room for them." He closed the door to his bedroom.

Mei gathered sheets and pillows for the time travelers to have a comfortable sleep on the couches and floor.

The next morning, the Seven Deadly sans Zeref and Devi travelled with Fairy Tail to a nearby hospital. It was in dire need of repairs and filled to capacity with patients.

"We come here when we can," Arc started. "With the thousands of demons and dark wizards roaming, there are many victims and casualties. We can only protect and save so many. Prance happens to be a very good healer and the rest of us help out where we're needed. There aren't enough doctors and nurses so if any of you know anything about healing then please, help out the wounded and sick."

Wendy stepped forward. "One of my powers is healing. I've gotten better at using my energy longer to heal."

Arc smiled. "Good. You can start with the ones with the more severe injuries as they have little time before they become critical."

Mei grabbed Juvia's hands making the blue haired woman blush. "I'm so-sorry but Gray-sama is the only one for me Mav-Mei," Juvia babbled. Mei giggled at her reaction. "Juvia, you're a water woman right?" Juvia sheepishly nodded. "Well, there's a river bed close by. It used to flow with water before a demon evaporated it all. Can you replenish the supply? The hospital needs it to treat the patients and it's quite an inconvenience to travel so far for fresh clean water or wait for it to rain. Devi would do it as it is within the abilities of a Spacetime wizard but only the masters and she's not ready for that sort of thing yet. And the last time Flash tried, he caused a flood with his storms that did more damage than good. What do you say?"

"Of course! You can count on me first master!" Juvia hosteled out of the hospital and to the riverbed quickly. The hospital celebrated with resurgence of the water supply.

Flash bumped his shoulder into Laxus' with a grin on his face. "So you're my great grandson huh?"

Laxus spared him a sideways glance. "I am," he replied tersely.

Flash pouted at the unenthusiastic reply. "You'd think you'd be more excited at seeing me in my glory days. I guess it's true that kids don't appreciate the older generations."

"Maybe I would appreciate your more if you're older self acted like more than distant family member to me," Laxus glowered

Flash paused. "What?"

"I don't even know why I'm bothering. If all goes well you wont remember this visit anyways." Laxus strode away from the stupefied mage.

Prance had the men with him as they cared for the sick women. "Oh Prance, your handsome face makes me feel better already," one of the women said as he bandaged her up. Prance flashed a charming smile. "Your beauty stuns me every time. There you go. All good now." He moved onto another patient that Natsu was also helping. "What kind of name is Prance anyway? Couldn't you have picked a better name to go by?" Natsu mocked.

Prance didn't miss a beat. "Prance is my real name. Just as Devi is hers. Reiki is the name she picked for me when we first joined the guild. I would heal the injuries she sustained during our training when we lived in Caelum and so she went with that. I always hated my name anyways so it was no problem for me to go by Reiki."

"Really? You acted as if you disliked the name when I first said it." Devi stood behind them looking rested. "I did at first but it's better than Prance. Feeling better?"

Devi shrugged her shoulders. "As good as it's going to get for now. When we go the guild back I can properly rest." She sat down on the chair next to Natsu. He turned to face her.

"Hey Devi?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for protecting me back there. You didn't have to risk your neck for me. If Igneel couldn't even put him down then there was no hope for me making it out of there alive." Natsu recalled what Gildarts had said to him during the S-Class trials. Admitting his own weaknesses is what will make him strong enough to protect those he cared for.

"No problem Natsu," Devi dismissed. "I couldn't stand by and watch him kill you."

"Devi?" The three of them turned to see Mei with a neutral face. "It's time."

Devi sighed heavily before spreading her hands in front of her. A map of the hospital appeared in front her. Hundreds of images popped up along with an ancient language no one could read except Prance and Devi, as they learned it when they were children. Devi's eyes glazed over as the information provided was processed in her brain.

"It's called Ananke," Devi spoke as the glaze on her eyes vanished. "My brother and I created it as part of our black magic research. It shows me when a person was born, will die if it's relatively soon, how severe their injuries are, any prominent moments in their history… it helps me weed out the sick from the dying. And half of this hospital is dying. They'll die soon and painfully."

Devi moved to the bed across from the one they were sitting. A young man was laying there, pale and sweating from a high fever. He understood what she was implying and nodded before succumbing so coughing fit. "We also expanded upon that idea and invented a way to kill a person in the most painless way possible. God's Mercy. First I put them into a coma," the man's eyelids slowly closed as his breathing evened. Devi's hands hovered up and down the length of his body as a soft white light issued from them. "Then I paralyze their muscles including their respiratory muscles which if left untreated will cause asphyxiation." Devi placed her hands over his left pectoral. "Finally, I stop their heart, which causes death by cardiac arrest. All while they feel nothing and travel to the afterworld in peace."

"That's… awful," Wendy whispered.

Devi remained calm and composed as she went to the next person asking if they wanted to die peacefully. "It's a necessary evil. Not everyone gets the privilege of dying in their sleep and many would give up anything to go out that way. But unfortunately this is a time of war and the battlefield is not a place for compassion."

Wendy watched as she went to the next patient in the room and brought up Ananke. She found nothing wrong and moved on, stumbling into a table that was right in her viewpoint. She felt her way around it and to the next bed. Devi could feel her vision blurring as she felt a massive headache forming. She ran into a wall after she started swaying on her feet. Mei helped her up and guided her to the next room. Wendy followed behind wanting to know what was wrong.

Ananke while useful and diverse in its usage besides seeing symptoms and illness had temporary side effects, as did most spells. Repeated use could cause severe magic depletion, leaving the user on the edge of collapse.

Mei escorted her friend before she was pulled away to the other side of the hospital and had Natsu guide Devi.

Devi spent the next few hours making her rounds through the hospital, taking small breaks in between, before making it to her final patient.

"Good evening. I'm sure you already know, but you're going to die soon and it's going to hurt. Would you like me to give you a quick and easy death?" Devi was far past the point of speaking with restraint. Her shirt was soaked with sweat and stuck to her like a wet suit.

An older woman narrowed her eyes at Devi. "No I would not," she spat. "You come in here expecting me to be happy and thankful you're willing to end my life in seconds. I bet I'm just another body count for you aren't I?" Devi said nothing as the woman insulted her. She had dealt with difficult people before.

"My daughter didn't have the option to die old in her sleep like she should have. She was sent flying out of our home days ago when a demon destroyed it. Her neck didn't break all the way for her to have died upon landing and she spent the rest of the night bleeding out in the field alone because I was under the rubble of our house. If my daughter couldn't find peace before she left this cursed world then why should I?"

Natsu shifted uncomfortably at the story. "I see. Well you wouldn't mind company? I'm sure your daughter wouldn't want you to die alone like she did. I stayed with my step father as he died because he didn't want to bleed out by himself," Devi took a seat next to her bed and felt around for her wrinkled and weak hand. The woman did not have the strength to grip it back.

Natsu sat on the other side of her bed. "What are you doing?" Devi questioned. Devi expected Natsu to go help one of the others while she sat with the old woman.

"Sitting. Hi, I'm Natsu. What's your name?"

"April," the woman answered.

"April. Nice to meet you. What was your daughter's name?"

"May. It's silly but we found it cute," she too had a coughing fit. Blood splatters stained her tissue. She didn't say another word after that.

"I've only known a handful of people to stay with people as they die. Mavis has been around enough ghosts as it is and the others find it plain creepy," Devi said.

Natsu slumped forward in his chair. He laid his head on the hand of April's hand, which he was holding. "I'm not good at healing. I usually destroy everything I touch. I'm not much help anywhere else so I can stay here with her until she passes on." Devi raised her eyebrows in surprise. She found herself impressed with the dragon slayer and respect for him appeared. She laid her forehead on April's hand as well and they sat there like that for the rest of the night. They woke up to April's freezing hands still in their hands.

* * *

This is the longest chapter so far but it might be taken over quickly depending on the last two for this arc. Until next time :)


	19. Shades of Hate

Hello all! Sorry for the late update. i've been out of state. But I have two chapters today so I hope that makes up for it. These next two chapters I think are meant to be read one right after the other so that's why I'm doing a double update.

kurahieiritr JIO: I actually based God's Mercy on the lethal injection. I know before modern medicine they had to mercy killings for almost every patient because they didn't have the tools or knowledge to properly treat them. I feel Natsu in the manga/anime is almost exactly like the Natsu from the very beginning so I'm just trying to mature his character.

Thank you to Reaper495 and ladyparty123 for favoriting/following.

* * *

Chapter 19. Shades of Hate

_Normus Netopia sat in his living room watching the Annual Wizard Celebration. The event had just turned sour. The demon Chaos had shown up and overtaken the coliseum with his gang of underlings. The Wizard Saints were fending him off best they could but their old age was showing. Not as graceful or powerful as they once were not to mention not participating in any major battles in years had taken a toll on their fighting ability. The younger member with them, Ophelia, the woman everyone was talking about wasn't much better herself. Chaos went after her, thinking her the weakest link as the others had the advantage of experience. _

"_She's a Spacetime wizard like us dad?" Normus's teenage son asked him._

"_It seems so, son. Not as powerful as us however," Normus replied, not wasting a moment to boast about his powers._

_They watched as Chaos used his most powerful thorn curse against the wizards and four of them fell from the assault. Normus mockingly smiled at the sight. If he were there, he wouldn't need the aid or protection of others. A true Spacetime wizard was one who could stand alone and defeat all enemies. Ophelia hesitated for a minute before shooting another red arrow at Chaos. Together, her and the three Gods of Ishgar walked over to the fallen Chaos and made the final steps to end the demon's life. Normus's eyes grew to an enormous size as his mouth fell open. Chaos had gone introverted in color before it faded, his still beating heart was inside of Reiki's palm. The sheer magnitude of the moment did not escape Normus as he got up from his seat and went to make a phone call. His son was still seated wide-eyed on the couch, rewinding the lacrima vision repeatedly. He would go on to rewatch the battle dozens of times after the disappearance of his father. That was the last time he ever saw Normus as he had to go away on 'business.' The weird weather patterns and strange occurrences kept him distracted long enough not to realize his father had disappeared into the same storm of mystery that made the entire planet freak out. _

_Normus sat at a round table along with a group of men in a dimly lit room. He had called the meeting out of urgency._

"_She is Devi! There's no mistaking it," one member yelled._

_The others nodded at his declaration. "I knew those spells of hers were too familiar but I couldn't place where I had heard of them before. It wasn't until the demon had frozen in time that it occurred to me," another spoke up._

_Normus wrangled the group's attention. "It is clear she was using the illusion magic she learned from Mavis Vermillion to disguise her eye color when she used her Spacetime magic. A clear indication she is trying to blend into our civilized society before turning it into a living nightmare."_

"_And her use of the taboo. Spacetime wizards are not allowed to stop time. It is against the laws of-of… Space and time!" The men were vocal with their disgust of Lia's display of powers. _

"_I thought only the one with the Spacetime Scepter was allowed to stop time," the newest and youngest member of their group questioned._

"_They are," Normus answered. "Although, others have been known to use the power. Zeref is the most well known example. His Ankhseram Black Magic or the Contradictory Curse is the result of breaking a taboo. Breaking a taboo of any of the three Holy Trinity of Black Magic will result in the curse. Just as only the owners of the Holy Grail and Soul Reaper Sword are allowed to resurrect the dead and extract the soul from any living thing respectively; only the owner of the scepter can stop time without any consequences."_

"_Ah, the Holy Trinity Treasures. Created and gifted by the Gods Chronos, Gaia and Tartarus to the users of Spacetime, Living and Soul magic. Only those deemed worthy by the Gods will gain ownership of either of the treasures. They have only ever been in the Ametsuchi, Wakahisa and Acnologia clans because they were the most proficient in their area of black magic. Of course, the grail and scepter disappeared long ago in ancient times and the Black Dragon Acnologia is said to have inherited the sword before he turned reptilian. Where the others went, I have no idea. They have not been documented since around the time Acnologia inherited the sword," explained a senior member of the group._

"_What if Lia has the scepter. Maybe that is the reason she was able to stop the time on Chaos," suggested the youngest member. The others guffawed at his silly idea. _

"_Well," Normus said still chuckling. "I'm sorry to burst your idealistic bubble but that cannot be possible. It is true Lia is from ancient times but there is no way in hell she would have the scepter. First of all it would have to be on her person for her to be able to access it's power. Did you see her holding a scepter about her size? I think not. Second, she's clearly not strong or proficient enough in Spacetime to possess the scepter. Only masters have ever held the treasure. And lastly, it is clear that Lia has also broken a taboo. In one of the legends, she was described as having an abundant amount of black, creepy magic escaping from her body. Ankhseram Black Magic."_

"_She actually has the curse? It's confirmed?" The youngest member questioned_

"_Well no, not confirmed," Normus, admitted. "But, it has been a long standing theory. A theory soon to be proven. The people of today may see her as some fairy tale hero but she is nothing but a devious witch. She and the rest of the Seven Deadly willingly consorted and aligned themselves with Zeref. They are called 'deadly' for a reason. They never hesitated to kill and helped to plunge the ancient world into darkness. She is waiting for the perfect opportunity when everyone is unsuspecting because they are too busy celebrating her fake heroic acts. She pretends to care about humanity but she was known to be an excellent liar and actor in her time. She will likely align herself once again with Zeref and cloth the world into darkness. That is where this meeting comes in. I know in the past we have tried and failed to kill Zeref before he could reach his full height of power but Lia is an easier target. If we can take her out before she reaches this time period, we will be saviors of Earth-land. We must kill her before she kills us all._

"Why day is day, night night, and time is time, grant me not waste night, day and time. Allow me pass to where my destiny lies." A swirling black portal opened a few feet away from them. They had completed their visits to the local hospitals and were going back to Fairy Tail. They only liked to spend a few days at a time in the past as it grew draining to waste their energy fighting demons and dark guilds constantly.

Team Natsu and co. was excited and relieved to be leaving the ancient world, if only for a while, and go to surroundings that were more familiar. They stood at the entrance of the first Fairy Tail building and nostalgia rippled into their minds. They must have stood there too long as their escorts had left them to go inside.

"Daddy!" screamed a blond toddler as he noticed Yury. The chubby legged kid waddled over to his father who scooped him up in his arms. The young Dreyer yanked on his father's hair, trying to climb onto his head. The future Fairy Tail watched in fascination at seeing their master in baby form. "Whoa… that's gramps," Natsu eased out.

"The old man was actually pretty cute," Laxus admitted.

"You guys make yourselves comfortable," Mavis instructed. "We'll find places for you to sleep later. But first, a round of drinks for your first trip into the ancient world!" The guildhall cheered at their accomplishment and congratulated them of making it out of there alive.

The six present members of the Seven Deadly and Team Natsu and co. sat at three tables pushed together.

Natsu sniffed Reiki. The elder dragon slayer pushed him away. "Say Reiki. You smell familiar. Which dragon is yours?"

Reiki kept his head straight ahead as he answered, "Atlas Flame."

That caught the attention of Team Natsu and Co. who was familiar the dragon that came through the Eclipse Gate and was frozen in the Sun Village.

"Wow really?! That means we're technically cousins cause Igneel is my dragon. You know it was really sad seeing him die when we we're in the Sun Village. Right guys?"

"Yeah I remember," Wendy nodded.

"What happened in the Sun Village?" Reiki asked worried about his dragon master.

"Well Atlas Flame was worshipped by a village of giants as an Eternal Flame. An ice-devil slayer froze the entire village including Atlas Flame. Gray was able to unfreeze him and Natsu used his fire to reignite Atlas Flame as his flame was dying out," Lucy explained.

"He died shortly after when he used the last of his power to unfreeze the rest of the village," Erza finished.

"That sounds like him. Thanks for saving him," Reiki said.

"Reiki used to fight in the Dragon Civil War before we left," Lia said suddenly. "He was able to convince Atlas Flame to let him be his one and only disciple during his time in it."

"As the son of a bastard of the Tapia house and a shunned member of the Fermata clan, I wasn't a welcomed member of the military. The Fermata family runs the military of the Alakitasia Empire while the Tapia's handle medicine. The Dragon Civil War was just starting when I enlisted and they assigned me to participate although no other member of a major house was in it. They hoped I would get killed but Atlas Flame became my mentor and protected me along with the allied dragons," Reiki explained.

Reiki was the son of Hajima Fermata and Viola Tapia. Viola was one the many bastards of Ferdinand, the former leader of the Tapia clan, whose mistress was also a bastard from a branch family of the Ametsuchi. When Hajima fell in love with and married Viola, he was disowned by the Fermatas and lost all of the money and land he would have inherited. They lived in relative poverty on the outskirts of the Alakitasia capital city. Hajima was a decorated soldier but lost his right leg during his service and became a fisherman. Viola made money by being a midwife to middle class families and healing sick children with her medicinal herbs. When Reiki was six, there was an outbreak of a disease. Mainly the poor died from it, as they couldn't afford proper treatment. Viola tried seeking treatment at one of the upper class hospitals but was turned away. She died a slow death; the disease ate away at her body. Reiki caught the disease and in his desperation, Hajima showed up at the doorstep of the Ametsuchi household. Before he was disowned, he was friends with Ophelia and Shah, Lia's father. Ophelia was visiting her parents when he showed up. She took them to the palace where the royal doctors treated Reiki. Afterwards, Ophelia vowed to help care for Reiki, paying for him to go to school with the noble children and private lessons in Requip magic since he was not allowed to learn creation magic, the magic of the Fermatas, or Maguilty Sense, magic of the Tapias.

"As a bastard of one of the Ten Imperial Clans, my mother was only allowed to go to school with the middle class children but even there treated with disgust. When you're born a bastard of a major or minor house, the nobles and upper class shun you. They see you as a blemish on their perfect lives and do everything they can to ignore you and hope you go away. The normal folks are intimidated by you and look at you as an outsider," Reiki continued.

When Hajima's father died and his eldest brother took over the clan, Hajima was welcomed back into the family. He stopped working, receiving a monthly allowance from the clan, and started teaching a class on the mentality of war. Reiki grew to be a talented young boy, excelling at hand-to-hand combat and Requip. When he learned and mastered dragon slayer magic, he gained the respect of the noble families except the Tapias; they couldn't like anyone related to their bastard.

"He's especially hated by the Tapia's because the Three Holy Clans favored him and disliked them because they're a vile group of people," Lia added.

"Didn't a message come by while we were in past? Don't the Tapias want you to swing by their place?" Yury asked Lia.

"Yeah but I didn't feel like dealing with them then so we'll go to when we go back," she answered.

"If you guys hate them so badly, why are we going to see them?" Wendy asked.

"Because they said it was important. And I can't deny a request of a senior clan member. No matter how much I despise them," Lia grumbled.

"Remember how pissed they were when I was inducted into the Elite?" Reiki reminisced.

"The Elite?" Mira questioned.

"The Elite are the top 25 clan members under 25. It's difficult to get a chair; the Holy Three children take up most of the spots. I was in the top five before we had to leave Alvarez," Reiki stated.

"Alvarez?" Natsu asked. "Why were you even in Alvarez?"

"That's where we're from," Reiki answered.

"No, Lia told me you guys were from Caelum," Natsu stated referring to the future Lia.

Lia cocked her head to the side. "Well she must have told you that because Caelum is where we would often vacation. But Alvarez is where we're really from."

Future Fairy Tail wondered what else Lia had lied about. They thought back to everything she had told them, contemplating if it was truth or fiction.

"Tell me," Erza said breaking the silence. "Why go to the past? Was there a specific reason?"

"History told us to," Warrod said. "We too had grown up learning about the Seven Deadly. Little did we know it us all along. When Lia and Reiki arrived at the guild three years ago, they had only just arrived in our time as well. They knew nothing about the Seven Deadly. When they heard their names, it wasn't a big mystery for them who Devi and Prance were. We decided we were going to work hard and train so we could fight in the past as history would have it."

"Slaying demons?" Gajeel asked chugging down his third drink.

"Slay?" Pretch gave a boisterous laugh. He was already drunk and didn't realize the mistake he about to make until afterwards. "Not only did we slay demons, we created them."

"What?" Gray demanded. The rest of his team shared his shock and anger at the proclamation.

Pretch pointed to Lia who was nonchalantly pouring a drink for Yury. "Our little Lia over there, is so talented she has not one but TWO," he held up two fingers while stumbling into the table. "Black magic. With her fancy dancy living magic she can create _demons_. Now, she may not be very good doing it herself, actually she's shit at it. But anyway, it doesn't matter if she herself is good at it. Zeref is. But Zeref did not have enough living magic to create some of his more powerful demons. So he enlisted the help of Lia, and together they gave birth to demons like Chaos and Lullaby and Deliora… and we," he pointed to the rest of the Seven Deadly. "Get to go back and slay them! Talk about glory without having to work for it. We get to be legends for slaying demons but no one actually knows what we truly did back then to be legends. Cheers team. I wouldn't have it any other way." A deadly silence took over the guildhall. The present members of Fairy Tail knew about the things the Seven Deadly got up to in the ancient world. It was an unspoken topic in the guild. No one dared bring up their lack of morals, fearing their wrath.

"You fucking traitor! Ice-Devil's Rage!" Gray released a beam of cold air and ice from his mouth. Lia flew out of her seat and crashed into a wall.

"How could you! I trusted you! You dirty liar." Iced arrows pierced the wall above her as she ducked just in time. She casted Angel Wings around her.

Gray got into another stance.

"Stop! Stop Gray!" Laxus shoved his arms away before he could do more harm.

"You're protecting her?!" Gray's face contorted with unmasked revulsion.

"Yes," Laxus said. The two alpha dogs had a stare down.

"Don't tell me you knew about it this entire time!"

"I knew what the old man let me know." Gray blasted a table to wood chips in response.

Fairy Tail turned to the Spacetime mage with the founders and Reiki by her side. She looked like the relaxed Lia they knew. Even when just assaulted she still managed to keep her cool. But, when she killed Chaos, they saw a look on her face that scared them to their core. Unadulterated, hate and destruction.

Master Makarov, Laxus and probably Gildarts knew about her hidden power and what the founders did in the past. The four of them frequently sat separated from everyone else and had private conversations. They acted like they were doing nothing wrong but the rest of the guild could tell there was something they were hiding. There was always a veil of mystery around them they all desperately wanted to uncover.

Erza suspected even Jellal knew. When they were at the Annual Wizard Celebration, Jellal said the only black magic he could sense from Lia was Spacetime. Unless he was lying, which she realized he wasn't because of his perplexed expression as he said it, he must of known about her living magic as well and was stumped on how he couldn't sense it. Even when one's magic is sealed away, if you know the magic signature, a master sensor can usually feel an inkling of the sealed magic. Jellal sensed nothing, not a drop not anything. '_So why did past Lia have living magic and our Lia didn't?_' Erza thought. She also found it suspicious how the older versions of the founders feigned lack of knowledge with Tartarus and Zeref but knew more about them than the rest of Fairy Tail ever would.

Team Natsu and Co. stood on Gray's side except Laxus. They might not fully understand the situation but they were fed up with being lied to and being the last ones to know about things. They didn't agree with the founders and their methods in 'helping' the world but didn't want to go against them in fear of their wrath. But they had to back Gray no matter what.

"After all I told you about what Deliora did to my family. How he ruined my life and hundreds of others, you stayed silent and played the innocent card. I don't see how we can all go associating with her after finding that out," Gray growled.

"You helped make him. You helped Zeref make this place even more a hell on Earth-Land."

"Gray, I'm so sorry about what happened to your loved ones. But I will not say I'm sorry or that I regret any of the decisions I have made because I know that I have helped the world in the end, not make it worse. And may I also remind you that I'm not the Lia you know. I have no purpose for lying to you. "

Little Makarov had made his way over to the scuffle as fast as his chubby legs could take him. He started pounding on the lower legs of Gray yelling "Why you hurt Aunt Lele?! Stop bad man!" Gray bent down to try and calm the miniature version of his master but his father swiftly scooped Makarov up. Gray held a pained expression. Seeing Makarov on their side confirmed the fact that the old man had always been on Lia's side, protecting and hiding her secrets and the dark origins of the guild. Even as a snot-nosed brat.

"Yeah you have no idea. Sure we had a hand in creating them but you don't know why or the good it will do. You guys are visitors to a time you know nothing about. Stop believing everyone in Fairy Tail didn't do something messed up to achieve something great," Yury stated.

Gray took off his jacket and pointed to the throne like markings that covered half his body. He was able to control them most of time but sometimes when he used too much of his demon slaying they popped up. "This is what your demons did to me."

"Maybe those Spacetime wizards were right with killing you," Gajeel said.

The two sides stared each other down.


	20. Seilah

Notice: For those who read chapter 13 a long time ago, you'll notice I changed the spelling for the character Sayla. It's not Seilah because the manga translations are sometimes incorrect but the anime has clarified the proper spelling for her name. I didn't want any confusion on that. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 20. Seilah

_Lia followed Yury closely behind. It had a few months Lia and Reiki joined Fairy Tail and both became fast friends with the rest of the members. Especially the founders. Mavis and Lia shared a close relationship ever since Lia broke down about the death of her family and sudden departure from her home country. Mavis divulged the story of her own tragic past and the two bonded. Lia never really had any friends growing up beside her family and Reiki. So when Yury asked Lia to come along to help get the rest of Mavis's stuff from Tenrou Island, because the Blonde was busy with a guild masters meeting, she didn't hesitate. Even something as small as packing contributed to thanking Mavis for providing them a new home and offering her friendship to complete strangers. _

_Yury's body went tense when they spotted a trespasser on the island. _

"_You there! Who are you? Why are you here?" Yury yelled across the clearing. They stood next to the library, which was near the little hut Mavis lived in while on the island. A raven haired voluptuous with large horns sticking out the sides of her head gave the Fairy Tail members a wary look. "I'm visiting. My guild used to be here years ago." _

"_The only other guild that was on this island was Red Lizard. But, all of the members died out years ago. Except our friend," Yury stated. The last two times outsiders came onto the island, they didn't harbor good intentions. He didn't want any more damage to come to Tenrou Island. "Our guild, Fairy Tail, now has ownership over it. You are trespassing."_

_The woman's eyes lit up. "That's my old guild! Red Lizard. They all died though. Except this one girl. I think her name was Mavis. I remember when everything was burning and she dragged me out of the rubble. Then I remember being really cold and… she was screaming my name as everything got dark. My book almost ended until…"_

_Lia gasped then furiously whispered into Yury's ear. "She's a demon but…" There was no doubt about it in their minds. From Mavis's description of her, the woman standing in front of them was definitely Zera. _

Lia avoided bumping into Gray at all costs as the group from the future continued their stay in the past. Things had been awkward between the two. They hardly spoke anymore instead staying on opposite sides of the guild. He still held a grudge against her, which she found understandable. She hoped he would get over it before they went back to the future and placed anger on an unsuspecting future Lia. The other members of Team Natsu and Co. simmered down and were more hesitant to hate her. Especially as she was still cordial with them.

Mavis had grown fed up with the tension in the guild. She didn't want any negative energy in her guildhall and so she invited the future members of Fairy Tail on a trip to Tenrou Island, her birthplace and the Fairy Tail holy ground. Team Natsu and co hadn't been back to Tenrou Island since they were trapped there for seven years. It was a bit of a Déjà vu moment for them.

Fairy Tail to Mavis was supposed to be a place where people that didn't belong to anywhere could have a home. A place where friendships and bonds were made. Where everyone was protected by each other's love for one another. They didn't have to get along all the time, or even like everyone. They just had to stick together because in most cases, they were the only people they could count on. The guild was no place for foul feelings.

Mavis led everyone to the secret Fairy Tail library. Only the founders, Reiki, Lia and any future masters were allowed access. Mavis released a wave of magic energy and the library appeared before them. Gesturing the group inside, she watched their astounded expressions.

Rows and rows of books lined the vast library. There were several tables and chairs thrown around. They fingered the dusty shelves that housed ancient texts and scriptures.

"Shrimp would love it here," Gajeel commentated. He and Lucy shared a smile thinking of Levy who had stayed behind with the others.

"This is our library. It contains books we've collected throughout the years, most of them are books that were here when the village that used to be here before it was destroyed some years ago collected and stored. Reiki and Lia also keep books passed down in their clans here; the ones they could carry with them. It also contains Lia's small collection of living magic creations."

"This is where she hides the demons she creates?" Gray spat.

"Yes. Her more complex creations have to be designed and written in books before they can come to be."

"Is Deliora's here?" Gray looked around for said demon's book.

Mavis shook her head. "No. All demons Lia created with Zeref are in his library. That was part of the deal. That he got full rights to their books."

"I'm guessing Seilah's isn't here either?" Mira assumed. Mirajane had been wondering about the passionate book fanatic Tartarus member ever since seeing her at the Wizard Celebration.

"You guessed right," Mavis confirmed perplexed.

"Seilah however was the first Etherious demon we ever met.

"When I was a little girl, I was in a guild that was located here on Tenrou Island. The guild and all the citizens were wiped out by another guild. The guild master's daughter and I were the only survivors. Zera, the other girl died shortly after however. I was so distraught and scared that I imagined that Zera was still alive. That she had never died but grew up as we lived on the island alone. I was so lonely and isolated that I believed creating Zera as an imaginary friend was the only thing keeping me from having a mental breakdown. As I learned illusion magic from the guild's library, I eventually created an illusion of Zera to solidify her existence in my mind. Three months before the formation of Fairy Tail, I met Yury, Pretch and Warrod who were treasure hunters at the time. We aligned to get the Tenrou Island Jade back after it was stolen in the Blue Skull raid years before. Following the defeat of the dark guild, we formed Fairy Tail. Reiki and Lia joined weeks later after my illusion Zera was gone. Everyone went along with my delusion of Zera's existence but they all found it unhealthy for me to interact with my illusion. No one else could see her but me. Zeref, unbeknownst to me, had been hiding on Tenrou Island when the raid happened. He found Zera's body and saw that it had a high amount of magic power left in it. He decided to breathe life back into her. But you can't technically bring people back to life without a cost. Zera was turned into a demon. I… I reacted badly to her. I remember seeing her and thinking I was looking at a walking corpse. Because that's what she was. Is. I still can't believe it honestly.

Mavis placed a heavy hand to her head. She felt drained retelling the story of one her most hated memories.

"Lia saw how I reacted to Zer-Seilah. But, together we all decided it was for the greater good that we later collaborate with Zeref to create some of his demons. He created those demons because he grew tired of living. He needs to die. More importantly wants to die. If we can help with his quest of eternal sleep then we have to do anything to achieve it. Each demon that fails to kill him, kill thousands instead. That's where we come in. We try our hardest to defeat them before they hurt others. Sometimes we get there too late…What I'm trying to say is, we may go about things in abnormal and questionable ways, but we always have the best of intentions."

Gray cocked his head to the side. "That was a great story and everything but that still doesn't excuse the fact that you guys helped to create the demon that killed my family and dozens of others. I'm still not sure I can forgive you for that."

Juvia placed a calming hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "While Juvia may always be on your side, Gray-sama, I do think we should give them a chance before we act so hastily."

Gray set her with a glare. "Well who cares what you think."

Gray breezed out the library with Juvia at his heels.

"Gray-sama! Gray-sama!"

Gray ignored his girlfriend and kept walking.

"Gray-sama you better listen to Juvia right now or else!"

Gray halted at Juvia's brash threat. She rarely scolded him. Their normal conversations consisted of her praising and listening to his worries.

"Gray-sama… Juvia don't see how you can be so cold to the original members."

The ice-make mage swerved his head and looked at his loving girlfriend incredulously.

"Don't know? Juvia they made the demon that killed my parents! Even if they didn't make Mard Geer they had a hand in making his twin brother who is worse than him. They can't be trusted!"

"Oh like you?"

"What?" Gray spoke with disbelief.

Juvia steeled her expression and released all the pent up anger she had been holding in since the guild reformed.

"Gray-sama left us! Gray-sama left Juvia! And all for what? To join a dark guild Gray-sama thought would have information on Zeref? On E.N.D? Well they didn't and when they found out Gray-sama was a spy Juvia had to come and save Gray-sama! And now Gray-sama has the gall to find suspicion with the founders after the stunt Gray-sama pulled last year. After all the pain Gray-sama has inflicted upon my heart for leaving and abandoning me and making me think you were evil. Gray should really think about who the real enemy is because the founders have never given us reason to not trust them. They may have had a hand in creating some of the demons but it may be for a good purpose. They may keep things from us but they do it for our own good. They protect us. The world. They risk their lives going back to horrible times to try and save Earth-Land. They killed Chaos. Not everyone person that has ever done something wrong has turned out to be evil. Just look at Ultear, Jellal, Gajeel, the rest of Crime Sorcière, Juvia. Think about that for Gray-sama puts blame onto everyone else for Gray-sama's misery but Gray-sama."

With that, Juvia left Gray to stew alone outside and joined her guild members inside.

The group traveled back to guild arriving as the sun was setting. Natsu saw Lia overlooking the water behind the guild. He watched her face, noting it wasn't as guarded compared to when others were around. "Hey, we're back!" Lia turned towards him and a grin spread across her face. "That's great how was it?" She knew about what Mavis had planned. The little blonde fairy couldn't keep a secret from her.

"It was good. It was nice seeing Tenrou Island again. Haven't been there in a while," he rubbed the back of his neck. The smile of Lia's face stayed in place as she said "Good. Glad you had fun then."

"Hey," Natsu said. "You always smile but your eyes are sad."

The smile melted off Lia's face before she could stop it. "What?"

"Yeah. Even in the future. You would smile all the time but most of the time I could tell it wasn't genuine. Why do you do that?"

The Spacetime wizard gazed at the Dragon Slayer with a blank expression. "I- I don't know…" It was the first time he'd seen her unsure of herself.

"Hey!" The rest of the Tenrou Island crew joined Natsu and Lia. Her smile was promptly back in place.

Gray sauntered over to Lia.

"I guess I'm done punishing you now. If you have to destroy Zeref by any means necessary," he extended a hand to the nonplussed Lia. She accepted his hand and they shook.

To say the others were surprised at his sudden change of heart was an understatement. At dinner, they confronted him about it and he explained that he couldn't very well stay mad at the founders after forgiving Ultear and Lyon for their past desecrations. He concluded that Lia and the others had the world's best interest at heart and decided to forgive them. He still had his reservations about them, particularly concerning their countless secrets that they hid from them. He would keep an eye on them but also keep his judgments fair.

Lia didn't let go of his hand but instead tightened her grip. Gray's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Lia yanked him forward so he fell into her arms.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia pressed her hands against his forehead.

"I knew that would happen," Mavis sighed proclaimed. "He looked paler than usual on the way back here. Lia, we'll have to banish this curse for him before it takes over."

"Curse?" Juvia questioned.

"Yes, I'm sad to say I didn't think of that when he showed off those markings that night. He'll die soon if the curse isn't removed," Mavis slip her fingers over the markings, trying to figure out which curse it was. "He got these from Mard Geer?" Mavis asked.

"Yeah…"

"Gajeel, carry him inside for me. Place him on onto an empty table," Mavis commanded.

Gray woke up to see Lia over him looking at the information provided by Ananke about his condition.

"Oh good. You're up," Lia's hands hovered over his abdomen. Her hands glowed and her eyes turned red as she looked at Ananke. "Your eyes…" Gray trailed off.

"Huh? What about them?"

"Are they supposed to be red, living mage?"

"I see you're hostile towards living magic. Ananke and God's Mercy actually requires both the magic of Spacetime and living so I guess not all living magic is evil right?" Gray mulled over her answer in his head.

"And the eyes?"

"Never you mind. You shouldn't be exhausting yourself with questions that don't concern you," Mavis spoke.

"Mira!" Lia yelled. "Can you come here for a second? Gray woke up." Mira stood off to the side.

"Mavis, the curse is attacking his liver. It looks like it lay dormant in his body."

"The markings are more of a warning than anything then," Mavis and Lia traded spots. Mavis now stood over Gray. "You're not going to do it?" Gray asked Lia. She just smiled and stood on the other side of him. "She could, but my light magic is more pleasant on the body than her magic. It sooths the pain along with banishing the curse." Yellow light poured out of Mavis's hands and washed over Gray. He felt calm and warm, like he was bathing in the hot springs. His marking lifted from his body in a large dark cloud. "Diverge!" The cloud disappeared inside Mirajane.

"Oh my goodness! Is that safe?" Lucy asked worried for Mira's wellbeing.

"My take-over allows me immunity to curses like those by demons," she walked away to get Gray a meal to eat. He felt light-headed and weak after Mavis's light vanished.

"You'll have to rest for a few days. Getting rid of curses can be heavy on the body. You should eat five meals a day and drink plenty of fluids until you feel better," Mavis instructed.

_Lia stepped forward. "You're Zera right?"_

_Seilah lips tugged into a sad smile. "I'm called Seilah now."_

"_You were turned into a Etherious demon right? By Zeref?"_

_Seilah nodded. "I'm in his possession now. But he allowed me to travel here and find the whereabouts of Mavis. He said he met her before and that she would want to see me again as well."_

_Lia and Yury shared nervous glances. "Why don't you come back to the guild with us," Lia suggested. _

_The odd trio found Mavis behind the guild, looking at the water as the sun set. _

_Yury made the first move. "Mavis?" The blonde turned to greet them with a broad smile. "Back so soon?"_

"_Uh huh," Yury said. "We have a guest for you." Yury and Lia stepped aside to reveal Seilah._

_Mavis's green orbs grew bigger. "Who… who is she?"_

"_Mavis… this is Zera. She's the one who died in the Tenrou Island raid. Not the one you made a illusion of before," Yury had a hard time being the one to tell her. His heart tightened when he saw the heartbroken face of the youngest founder._

"_That can't be. Zera is dead. I remember when she died in my arms and then my illusion of her was created. Not that abomination. How could you say those things to me?!"_

_Lia ran forward and scoped Mavis up in her arms. Mavis's screams died down. She whimpered as she held onto Lia. "It can't be. But evidence is right in front of me isn't it? She's a demon now…" Salty tears stung the blonde's eyes._

"_I shouldn't cry. It's bad to cry. My parents used to tell me if I cried I wouldn't be able to meet the fairies," Mavis sniffled. _

"_My mom told me I shouldn't cry in front of monsters. It was the ultimate weakness and vulnerability that they preyed on," Lia said._

"_You both had some pretty smart parents," Yury chuckled._

_Mavis looked Seilah who awkwardly stood away from the friends._

"_I'm sorry for how I reacted. Please forgive me. It can't be any easier for you. Thank you for seeking me out."_

_Seilah nodded. "It's fine. I should be going though. Zeref will want me back." They watched as she left the guild._

_Lia hugged Mavis closer to her. "You don't have to be lonely anymore Mavis. You have us now."_

_Yury took both of them into his arms for a bear hug. "Yeah best bud. As long as Fairy Tail exists, you'll always have a friend."  
_

_The three best friends stayed like that until the sunset._

* * *

Alright that's it for now. The next chapter will be really long. The longest i've ever written so I might not update until two week later after I post 21. Bye!


	21. Tunnel Vision

Hi all. Back with an extremely long chapter to make up for the wait. My longest chapter so far I believe.

kurahlieirtr JIO- I don't think Lia is necessarily another Zeref. You'll see why soon enough. I think all great companies have dark pasts, the same with Fairy Tail. Their past is a questionable one but to them it was was needed at the time. I hope one day the others won't hold it against them anymore. Although admittedly they do think too highly of themselves to see the obvious flaws in their thought process. Makarov doesn't remember future fairy tail at all since 1. he was so little at the time they came and 2. another secret reason ;). Our poor Mavis. Her past is so sad, i just had to touch upon it. If you haven't yet, you should read Fairy Tail Zero. A lot of the stuff I've used for the founders came from there. It's fairly short, only about a dozen or so chapters from what I remember.

zoey-the-catgirl : I'm not sure if you meant to review but if you have any questions/statements please feel free to message me or review :) And also thank you for favoriting/following.

Thank you to cakeisbest for favoriting/following too.

* * *

Chapter 21. Tunnel Vision

_Six-year-old Lia clutched her mother's hand. She moved Ophelia's long skirt in front of her, to shield her face from the man that had come to take her away. _

_It was time for her 'awakening' as everyone told her. She knew it was a special ritual done to the members of the Three Holy Clans when they reached her age but she was frightened when she was informed it was her turn. When her brother came back from his, she was only two but their cousins told her he cried for weeks after his awakening and became more sullen and quiet. Each cousin retold their own experiences to Lia; each story sending her to into panic fits and nightmares invaded her sleep. _

_They would be exploiting a fear of hers and by the end of it she would be so either emotionally, mentally or physically stressed that an untapped amount of magic would escape awakening her true potential. _

"_Chibi-Lia," her mother crouched down. "Chibi-Lia, Mama's going to need you to be strong for me okay? Be a big girl and listen to everything they say. Don't cry. Remember what I always say?"_

"_Don't cry in front of monsters," Lia sniffed._

"_That's right. Come here, sweetheart." Ophelia squeezed her daughter tightly and rocked her back and forth. She felt more afraid for her than Lia probably felt for herself. Memories of her own awakening flooded her uneasy mind. She placed one last kiss on Lia's cheek and let her say her goodbyes to her father and stepfather. _

The gang was back into the past. They were currently in the country Tapia, home of the Tapia clan and part of the Alakitasia Empire. In ancient times, the nations of Kaneshiro, Fermata, Marchand, Tapia, Orlov, Samara, and Danchev, named after the powerful clans that inhabited them, were all united under Alvarez, the home of the Three Holy Clans. Collectively, they were named the Alakitasia Empire, after the continent they shared. During the reign of the Alakitasia Empire, a member of the Ten Imperial Clans ran each land. The Three Holy Families solely co-ran the country Alvarez, as they were the strongest, and Acnologia was chosen as the ruling royal family. The Acnologia clan ruled all of the Alakitasia Empire with the Ametsuchis and Wakahisas second in command. The other seven imperial clans had no authority over the big three, as they did not possess the Holy Trinity of Black Magic and the Gods given treasures. After the fall of the Three Holy Clans and the disappearance of the majority of important Ten Imperial Clan members, the empire fell. The united nations went back to being separate. The official fall did not happen until the Acnologia family was wiped out around the same time Mei died and the Seven Deadly seemingly vanished.

The Tapia clan's home was nestled in the mountains near the sea. The rocky terrain was exhausting for Mirajane. She was being carried by Laxus.

Earlier when they passed by the sea, a lone figure immerged from the water. It went to attack; Mirajane was the closest to its reach. Before it could touch her, it fell to the sand unconscious. Her take-over had worked on the demon.

Mirajane had Take-Over Satan Soul: Vepar. The demon gave her water based powers as well as the ability to have someone die over a period of three days by decaying sores and wounds causing worms to breed in them. It gave her a long fish tail on her lower back covered in green scales. She had a purple ripped top that reached to her belly button. A pearl choker adorned her neck. A golden trident that had electric shocks rippling through it was clasped in her right hand.

After taking over the demon, she felt tired and found it challenging to walk on her own. It happened whenever she got a new take-over as her body had to have time to adjust to the addition.

The group continued their trip to the Tapia residence. It was getting dark by the time they spotted the town containing the dark gray, looming castle at the base of a mountain.

They walked through the town, making their way to Tapia castle. Whispers followed them as the townspeople gossiped behind their hands.

"Is that _The Seven Deadly_?"

"Zeref's not with them."

"Of course not you idiot. He'd kill everything in his path."

"Prance got so handsome…"

"He's a bastard remember?"

"No he's the son of a bastard. Besides who cares about titles when you're laying underneath him."

"I heard he's dating Devi."

"Oh of course he's dating that spoiled brat. She thinks she so pretty and better than everyone else."

"Well she _is_. Besides I've met her before. She was really nice."

"Yeah yeah. Who are those other people with them?"

"I don't know but the men are good looking too."

"That one has pink hair."

"It's salmon!" Natsu yelled at the group of girls. They fell silent as the group passed by. The castle gates opened for them and the guards escorted them inside.

"Brace yourself we're in the viper pit," Prance warned.

"Behave yourself here. Please don't make any trouble. Don't speak out of turn. This isn't Fiore where you'll get way with anything. If anyone says something insulting to you, let Devi handle it as she's the only one of us, besides Prance who won't be in danger of getting their tongue cut out," Mei instructed. "And Prance only has the protection of carrying the Fermata name, which is on equal terms with the Tapias. Although since we are in their domain, he'll still have to tread lightly."

The castle guards searched and patted down all of them one by one. When they got to Devi, she glared at them and one of them fell at her feet choking.

"Did you have to do that?" Lucy scolded.

"That wasn't me…"

"It was me," a tall man with black hair and a stubbly beard arrived in the entrance room. "I can't let a filthy guard lay a grimy hand on you darling."

Devi stepped over the guards' body to greet the new arrival. "Adan, pleasure to see you again." He kissed both her cheeks, lingering far too long for Prance's comfort.

"Oh Devi, the pleasure is surely all mine. You look even more like your mother than the last I saw you. May she rest in peace," Adan raised a hand to the ceiling. Devi's eye's narrowed but she smiled politely.

"The Tapia's specialize in Maguilty Sense," Mei informed.

"I see you're still chocking people out to this day, Adan," Prance said rubbing Devi's shoulders.

"Ah. You brought the bastard with you," Adan observed.

"Yes, Prance _is_ with me," Devi smiled harder. "I brought other friends as well. I hope it's not a problem," she said gesturing to the Seven Deadly and Co.

"Not at all. Father wants you escorted to the dinning room immediately."

They were seated at a long table in a medieval styled dinning room. Sitting there already were Dimas Tapia and his only living daughter Publana. Publana drank the entirety of her goblet before greeting Devi.

"Chibi-Lia! You're looking a bit peckish. I'm sure running around killing demons and such doesn't pay much to begin with but no lady of your station should be starving herself," Publana leaned across the table to give her a tight squeeze. Publana calling her Chibi-Lia was the same as Acnologia saying it. It didn't sit well with her but she ignored the backhanded show of affection.

"It doesn't pay at all. I hope you haven't been drinking too much. Your conversational skills did tend to waver into the obscene when you drank past your limit." Devi refused the alcohol the butler was trying to serve her.

"Come now Chibi-Lia. Loosen up. Drink your wine," Devi tipped the goblet over and the red wine spilled onto the stone floor. Publana called a butler over to clean the spill. When he went to wipe it up with a cloth she herself tightened his throat with the motion of a closed fist. He fell to his knees in front of the puddle. "Drink it up like the dog you are," she hissed. The butler did so without complaint. Erza, Natsu, Gray and Lucy almost made it out of their seats to object the poor treatment of the Tapia hired help but were restrained by Mei's light magic cementing their feet to the floor. She sent them a warning look; they knew not to try and cause trouble again.

"You really do look like your mother, may she rest in peace," Publana continued when the butler finished his cleaning. "Thank the Gods you inherited living magic and dark skin or else Shah, may he rest in peace, might have thought you were someone else's. Actually, you might have just gotten that shade because you ran around in the hot sun with riff raff all the time. Now that I think about it, wouldn't you be considered a bastard as well? Oh how disgraceful! I remember your parents divorced before you were born..."

"It was after, Publana. I'm not disgraced in anyway. If only everyone in this room could say the same."

"The only disgraced person is that son of a bastard. To bring him to this table, I find it highly offensive Devi," Dimas said.

"If only your father didn't stick his cock in other holes besides his wife's. Then you wouldn't have an unwanted sister and nephew," Prance dryly stated.

"Hold your tongue swine!"

Prance leaned back in his chair, and glanced at the smirking faces of his comrades. Dimas face was flushed red as he tried to control his breathing.

"How much longer is this going to be? I have to somewhere to be later tonight," Publana stated.

"Under someone more like it," Devi mumbled. Publana's sharp ears heard her and her lips curled.

"Stop slut shaming me, Chibi-Lia. Not everyone wants to be a virginal prude like you."

"But she's not a v-," Prance's mouth clamped when a well-placed boot slammed onto his right foot. Devi cleared her throat.

"I'm not slut shaming you Publana. If you want to have sex with dozens of men or women you can because I don't care what you do. I'm sure Dimas will think differently when your dresses tighten and you bring yet another bastard into the family. Your grandfather however, will be proud someone else is carrying on his legacy."

"Always spilling truths on others but can never receive any without lashing out. Your childish remarks are getting tiring Chibi-Lia." Devi rolled her eyes at Publana.

"Not that I don't find this back and forth riveting, but we do have more pressing matters to attend to. So, what was I called here for?" Devi asked getting to the point.

"We have two requests for you, Devi. As the only female left of both the Wakahisa and Ametsuchi clans, you have a great amount of influence in the meetings of the Ten Imperial Clans. As you are already aware from your involvement, we are no longer allowed to do the awakening process for the Holy Three-"

Devi cut Dimas off. "Well only the Acnologia family is left…"

"… because of your brother's invention, Event Horizon. As you know, the clans deemed it a more fitting way of awakening the Holy Three-"

"That is because the Kaneshiros ruled your methods cruel and unusual punishment."

"Yes, I am sure that had nothing to do with the fact that your step-father, may he rest in peace, was the one who brought it to court in the first place. Why he would waste his time on replacing tradition for a half-baked idea from your brother I will never know. Ophelia must have had a tighter grip on his cock than we realized. May she rest in peace. And your little spells Ananke and God's Mercy didn't help in the matter either. We are losing quite a bit of money from all these new 'breakthroughs' in the medical field, that we did not discover ourselves. Only those with both living and Spacetime magic can use those spells and our family possesses neither. It wasn't sensible to create those spells and have everyone so excited about them. People want to come to you now for assisted suicides now instead of us because they may feel 'pricks of pain'," Dimas said underplaying the effects. "Citizens are travelling out of the empire to track you down so you can kill them off. We are an ancient clan that doesn't appreciate being one-upped by over privileged children. Do it for the sake of the empire." Decisions that affected the empire as a whole were dealt with in meetings of the ten clans. During a meeting, any eligible member of the clan can go to represent their family. Usually those present were the leaders of their clans. Each clan specialized in and provided a certain building block for the empire. For example the Kaneshiros handled the judiciary and specialized in magic of the elements.

"Your entire awakening process consisted of torturing little _children_. I will not be convincing anyone of reversing anything. You don't have the vote of the Wakahisas, Ametsuchis, Acnologias, Kaneshiros, and certainly not the Fermatas from how you've treated Prance tonight!" It would be a five to five vote if the Tapias were able to convince the other four clans, the Marchands, Orlovs, Samaras and Danchevs to vote in their favor. If it was a tie the issue would be thrown out.

"Do you still get nightmares from your awakening Chibi-Lia? Is that why you won't help us? You can't stay bitter forever. Because you know in the long run it's best for the empire. And isn't it the duty of a Spacetime mage to _always_ think about the big picture? " Publana asked after Devi's passionate dismissal of Dimas.

Devi's expression faltered. It reminded Natsu of when he asked about her fake smiles. How caught off guard she was.

"I-… don't know what you're going on about," Devi spurned.

"Oh but you do know, Chibi-Lia," Publana purred. "Uncle documented the event on lacrimas. He allowed the entire family to watch over and over again as you wept, begged and pleaded to be let go."

Devi stared at Publana while a rush of memories flooded her head like a tidal wave.

_Devi was strapped flat on her back on a wooden board above the ground. A bucket was below her head, a mask over her head and a towel on her face. She didn't know what kind of method they were using, but still felt queasy._

_The man in charge of her awakening was Sid Tapia, younger brother to Dimas and head of awakenings for the Holy Three. She was taken to the Tapia research center, an old castle on the countryside with a moat. _

_She felt her mask getting wet and held her breath. She could only hold it for about ten seconds; all her tiny lungs would allow her before she had to gasp for air. But she found it hard to breathe as the water dampened the mask and towel. Devi felt water seeping into her nose, mouth and lungs. She struggled against the restraints they put on her. She started chocking on the water before the towel and mask was ripped but the restraints stayed. They gave her a minute to rest before repeating the process for another hour. They thought waterboarding her would immediately release her magic but were mistaken. Yes, she was very terrified of water and drowning but was resilient. They'd have to up the ante for further results._

_They sat Devi with her back to a filled tub. Cupping her head in his hands, one of the men pushed it back so it was submerged in water. She flailed her arms and legs, kicking and punching whoever was holding her. He released her when she dug her nails into his arm._

_She was a fighter they concluded. Like her brother, father and mother. All five of them had to hold her down as her head was under the water. They could barely hold her before they were blasted into a wall. They celebrated thinking it was her awakening._

"_Fools!" Sid yelled from an intercom. He was in a separate room watching the whole ordeal on several lacrimas. "You'll need to heighten her stress levels before we get full results. You only scratched the surface of her magic. She knows you'll eventually bring her head back up so she's not in her primal defensive state yet. We'll have to go with plan C."_

_Devi was carried bridle style to the moat surrounding the castle. Her voice was horse from screaming but they still heard her perfectly fine when she begged. "No please. Please let me go… no more… I don't want to do this anymore…" A spare tear dripped down her chubby cheeks. They almost gave into her pleadings thinking of their own daughters having to go through it but stopped when they recalled Sid's threats. The one holding her dropped her into the moat and she sank to the bottom, unable to swim._

_She tried desperately to reach the surface but her struggles only made her sink faster. Her lungs convulsed, weak from the earlier torture. Her vision blurred and the last thing she remembered was her hand reaching out above her. _

"_Geez," one of the men said. "We have to get her before she drowns and dies. Let's go." They reached the edge of the moat before the ground collapsed underneath them. A tremor erupted into the surrounding earth and everything within a mile radius was destroyed by a surge of raw magic power._

_When Devi fell unconscious in the water, her body bobbed around for a moment before her eyes flew open, red in color for the first time. Her magic went out of control and what happened next was a mystery to her until she woke up. She was underneath some rubble when Sid found her. He was able to gather the lacrimas recording the event and teleport to a safer location. Sid was the only survivor. Everyone inside the research center and living in the village nearby died from Devi's magic. In the ten years he was leader of the awakenings, Sid had only ever seen three others more destructive or on par with hers._

"It was a blessed gift that you didn't die that day Chibi-Lia. Else your entire family would be nearly extinct," Publana's smug voice broke Devi out of her thoughts. She swallowed, still tasting the dirty moat water in her head. She went on like nothing happened.

"It is because of your malpractice that I won't vote in your favor. Your uncompassionate and money grubbing ways have to stop before I can truly look at you as the clan in charge of medicine. I might have to convince the other clans to strip away your medical positions until we're sure you fully deserve it."

"Malpractice? Uncompassionate? Where are these terms coming from Chibi-Lia? We've done nothing but help this empire flourish and for you to threaten us like this is unconceivable," Dimas stated feigning hurt.

"Your daughter just said your entire family watched my awakening which under law should have never been seen by anyone that wasn't present. All night I've been listening to each one of you bring up my family and throw around, may they rest in peace…. But the thing about that, none of you have the right to say that me. Not only do you not mean it, but your own daughter Elodia betrayed her nation by participating in the genocide of two of the most important clans for our empire. She's a cowardly rebellious snake who ran away because she couldn't complete the job by killing me too. So please excuse me if I'm not jumping at the chance to help any of you in anything you do."

Devi's neck was snapped to the side after the stinging smack that Publana dealt her. "You must have lost your mind." Devi's eyes flashed.

"I want you apologize for what you said about Elodia-"

"Why would I care about what you want," Devi hissed. "It's not like Elodia is dead unlike _my_ sister.

"I'm not even going to bother hearing the second request," she said suddenly. "We're leaving. Don't contact us again."

As they got up to leave, a horn sounded. The horn for battle.

Dimas chucked. "I thought you might reject. I grow tired of your disrespect for my clan and so we shall settle this on the battlefield. Because you are a member of the Holy Three I shall grant you all ten minutes to prepare yourselves before your absolute slaughter. See you out there." Dimas walked out of the dinning, taking off his robe to reveal armor underneath.

Publana cackled from behind the group. She stood at the other end of the room, her drink still in her hand. Devi kept her back to her.

"I think torture runs in the family," Publana started. "Elodia tortured the staff at your beautiful villa. Staining the walls, creating quite an artwork in their blood.

The group from the future were surprised Devi was keeping her cool. She made it seem like Publana was telling her a boring story rather than events that took place on her darkest day. They themselves would go over and shut up the drunken witch but knew they would be pulled back before they could touch her.

"Father will torture you all as soon as you step foot out of the castle. And of course uncle tortured you Devi, and Prance during your brother's awakening." Publana took a long sip.

"And you were of course tortured by the traitorous snakes, as you call them, that night. Oh you were so disoriented. You kept going in and out, I think. But your mother was wide-awake when they killed her. It really was traumatizing for you. I'm surprised you weren't _seeing double_ that night." A sick smirk slipped onto Publana's face.

Prance switched his lance to a different hand. Mei closed her eyes. Flash played with his bangs. Brutus's eye twitched. Arc coughed.

Devi slowly turned her head, peering at Publana over her shoulder. "I'm sorry? What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

"I said you should have been seeing dou-"

Devi dashed across the room so fast the others didn't notice she was no longer beside them until Erza's sword was two feet away from Publana's neck. Publana raised her hand, pointing it to Devi. A pink beam shot out. She was trying to perform a sensory link between them. If Devi killed or hurt Publana in any way, she would have the same effects.

Prance bounded over to the pair, slashing Publana's outstretched hand off before the sensory link was completed.

Devi closed the distance, driving the blade into Publana's midsection. Publana screeched out a wail of pain. Her eyes searched Devi's red ones for an ounce of mercy. Devi leaned forward, her lips pressed against her ear. "I hope your sister joins you soon." The sword twisted, grinding her intestines. Blood spurted out her mouth. Adan watched the scene, stuck in place. He saw the light vanish from his sister's eyes. Devi yanked the sword out, splashing Adan with Publana's blood. He shivered from the warm, thick liquid.

His chills increased when his eyes caught Devi's. "Did you have anything to do with it?"

"…No. I- I didn't…" He was thankful he chose not to take part in the destruction of the Ametsuchis and Wakahisas. Blood had splattered onto Devi's face. She smiled with humor, making it seem like everything was a joke, but Adan knew that smile too well and took caution. Her bangs were pushed back to put her glowing red irises on full display. It was true that members of the Holy Three eyes glowed when using their magic, but also when their emotions were heated. When they had bloodlust.

Adan breathed out a sigh of relief when the red faded. At least Devi didn't have her magic to use against anyone.

Adan quickly left to join his father.

"We have eight minutes," Mei informed.

"Enough time to get weapons for all of us," Prance said. Devi handed Erza back her sword that she borrowed.

"Why would we need weapons? We got magic," Natsu said while making a fist. His eyebrows furrowed. "Hey what gives? My fire ain't coming out."

Gajeel tried making his arm into an iron sword but failed. "What the hell is going on?"

"It's a magic negation barrier," Mei explained. "I noticed one was placed around the castle and town once Dimas left the room. The caster can choose what kind of magic and who uses their magic within the boundaries. Even if you kill the caster, the field will stay up. There's only one way to nullify it. We'll have to make our way to the center of the barrier without getting killed and Devi will take care of the rest."

"What will you do?" Lucy asked Devi.

"Well I'll only be able to nullify the barrier for a short while. It'll still be up technically but you'll be able to use your magic too. What I need you guys to do is be my shield and sword until we get there. Do what you came to do, protect me." Devi evaded the question like every other time. They guessed they'd see it anyway so they weren't too peeved.

"This is not a honorable way to battle," Erza commented.

"The Tapia's are not known for their honor," Prance deadpanned.

"Take whatever weapon you can find on the walls," Flash said grabbing a pole arm. The dinning room was decorated in dozens of weapons. Each person picked an item they were comfortable with wielding. Gajeel and Arc swung their axes around, getting used to the heavy weight. Lucy preferred to use her whip, Erza her sword, and Prance his lance. Laxus and Brutus had studded gloves on, Mirajane a flail, Juvia a iron fan, Wendy a bow and arrow for long range attacks, Gray a mallet, Natsu a mace, Mei a small dagger and Devi a club. She was more comfortable with a club than a sword. During training sessions with other children, they would hide the swords from her, relegating her to use the club against their blades.

"It'll be better for us if we stay inside as long as possible," Brutus said. Mei nodded her agreement. "They won't be able to use too much of their offensive magic while in the castle, in fear of damaging it or causing it to collapse. We'll let them come to us, while we make our way over to the center of the barrier. We should stay in a tight circle with the ones more comfortable with their weapons on the outside. Everyone else crowd the middle. Make sure you have your shield close to you at all times, in case of any stray spells. Your mission is to get Devi and I safely to the middle. If we get taken out, there's no chance we'll all get out of here alive." Everyone followed Mei's orders and huddled around the short blonde and silver haired twosome.

They fended off the incoming soldiers belonging to the Tapia's well enough. They had it harder once they made it off the castle grounds. The town provided little coverage and hiding places. The citizens had sealed off their homes and business as soon as the horn sounded. Their bodies were taken quite the beating, as magic banged against the flesh, releasing pain sensors everywhere. More times than none, the male members of the Seven Deadly threw themselves in front of any incoming attacks for Mei and Devi. At one point Prance was meters away from Devi when a comet-sized spell was hurdling towards her. He sliced his way through the crowd, jumping in front of the blast. It reminded the future Fairy Tail of when he took the brunt of Chaos's spell during the Annual Wizard Celebration. They knew it had to do with more than just the mission. The total devotion clearly showed on Prance's face whenever he was within seeing distance of Devi. And when Flash kept his arm tightly around Mei's shoulders, while Arc stood at her other side. The dedication showed by the other members to protect the two women was astounding.

A single figure made his way behind Devi. He swung her around, catching her off guard because she knew that touch. A touch she hadn't felt since she left Alvarez.

"-KUN?!" Prances head snapped over to where Devi was standing. Fire blazed in his eyes when he spotted the man whose name slipped out of Devi's lips.

Prance had his lance poised at his neck before he could blink, mimicking Devi's actions against Publana earlier.

Devi pushed the lance down. Prance cut his eyes to her. "It's Seikun not Vidkun, Prance. See?" Prance eyed the man up and down before lessoning the grip on his lance.

"Prince Seikun, what are you doing here?"

Seikun cleared his throat. "It's actually Imperial Emperor Seikun now. Father died a few months ago…" Devi and Prance felt a pang of grief at the news. They had spent considerable amount of time at the royal palace and the former emperor had always been kind to them. It hit Devi that she would have most likely been empress that moment if she had not left.

Seikun was the eldest son of Emperor Takao Acnologia. He was set to marry Devi when she turned 21. That was before she left the empire after the assassination of the Wakahisa and Ametsuchi clans. The engagement was null the moment she set foot off the continent. Seikun's twin brother, Vidkun, was his brother's opposite in everything except looks. He never wanted the throne and loathed the clans' hierarchy. Vidkun would later become what people mainly thought of when they heard the name Acnologia. The Black Dragon in the Book of the Apocalypse.

"And for what I'm doing here, I heard the Tapias were planning to have you executed. I came here to stop their plans and deal out their punishment but found myself unable to use my magic when I was almost to the castle. You look good Chibi-Lia. I hope you both have been doing well since your departure."

A solider on the side of the Tapia's tried to sneak up behind Seikun. Seikun dodged his attacker, sensing his presence. When the soldier missed and stumbled forward, Seikun struck the back of his neck with a kick, knocking him down. The soldier scrambled up to his feet once he met the seething red eyes of his emperor. They let him get away, seeing it as an advantage.

The news spread like wildfire that Emperor Seikun had made an appearance on the battlefield, on the side of the enemy. The Tapia troops lost their sense of morale, too stilled with fear to oppose the Emperor and face capital punishment. "What the hell is going on here?!" Dimas marched up to Adan, his face contorted into a sneer. "Emperor Seikun is here," Adan said simply. Dimas face fell, paling at the thought of dealing with Seikun. He knew he would feel the wrath of the Acnologias along with the other families for taking war against Devi and Prance but had prepared a bogus explanation for his actions. But with the emperor there to witness his deceit, he knew his days were numbered. "And there's something else father," Dimas raised his head to look at his son. "Publana… she is dead. Devi killed her when she admitted to taking part in the assassinations." Dimas sighed, wiping his sweaty face. "That girl was a fool. At least Elodia left the continent afterwards, hiding so they couldn't find her… At least I'll get to spend my final moments with one of my children."

"Once this is over I'll summon the Marchands to take the Tapia's into custody," Seikun said. That was their cue to find their way to the center of the barrier.

"How exactly are you going to nullify the barrier again?" Lucy prodded hoping for a better answer than before.

"I have to change the coding to allow everyone else to use their magic," Devi said. She held a hand over her chest and her eyes once again turned red. A faint outline of the magic negation barrier appeared. Fairy Tail felt their magic flowing through their veins. They tested it out, seeing that they were back in action.

Mei stepped forward. "Fairy Law. Activate!"

Mei's eyes lost all color as a bright yellow ball materialized between her cupped hands. She slammed both hands and eyes shut, as the light got brighter. She reopened her eyes and a magic circle covered them, mimicking the humongous one covering the sky above. The light overtook everything in sight, blinding the viewers with its illuminating hue. Soldiers and Tapia members were immediately rounded up and put into custody by the Marchand police force following the casting of Fairy Law.

Emperor Seikun made his leave with his newly arrived royal guards after briefly questioning Dimas and saying his goodbyes.

The gang celebrated their win with rounds of drinks at a local pub on the outskirts of the town. They sat outside since the inside was too crowded.

Natsu slammed his drink down when he sensed strange presences in the area. It was a familiar presence. They felt similar to Lia when she unsealed her Spacetime magic during the debacle with Cain's Genesis.

He ran out into the street his fists ablaze. A loud gunshot went off, preceded by a violent white beam hurdling towards the table of allies. It missed Natsu by a hair, but he still felt the heat of the beam, feeling a slight numbness on his left side where it almost hit him. Devi swung her head around in time to see the beam. The last thing the others saw of her was her moving her hand to her chest before she vanished.

Horror chilled their spines as they stared at the spot she was just in.

"This-… can't be happening…" Lucy begged. She clamped a hand over her mouth trying to hold down the bile trying to make it's way up her throat.

"We failed," Erza stated. Her face was blank as her body trembled with fury.

"Now we're stuck here," Gajeel rubbed his tired face. The thought of never seeing his shrimpy bookworm again made his heart stop for a moment.

Out of the cover of the night came the cult of Spacetime mages opposed to Zeref, and of course, Devi.

"You really shouldn't grieve over that insolent child," Normus Netopia stepped forward out of the group, displaying his leadership. "She was only a dirty black wizard after all."

"How can you mock her honor as a wizard?" Erza demanded drawing her sword.

"A true Spacetime wizard would never stoop so low as to break a taboo. She signed her fate when-" Natsu's fist shut him up. Normus let out an enraged howl at the sudden punch. His skin on his cheek was blistering from the fire.

"Why are none of you reacting?!" Lucy turned her attention to the remaining Seven Deadly. They'd been silent the entire time, only briefly showing their surprise at Devi's disappearance.

"There's still someone that can help us," Brutus claimed.

Gray looked at them in disbelief. The emperor might have come to help them but he had no Spacetime magic, only soul magic. Next to the Seven Deadly, he was the most powerful person on the continent that could have the power to do anything. But even he couldn't.

"Who?" Gray scoffed.

The temperature dropped abruptly. Future Fairy Tail heart's dropped as they saw a silhouette step out of the shadows. His robes were being swept around by the cold night wind. His low bangs obscured his face, but they knew who it was. They could never forget.

"I can't sense Devi on Earthland anymore," Zeref said. He sent accusing looks to the other Seven Deadly, almost like he was scolding them. "How am I supposed to die peacefully if she's gone?"

* * *

Yay! Zeref has finally made his official debut I'm wetting myself with joy. His character is _so_ interesting, the best part about the current manga arc in my opinion. Poor Lia, can't catch a break. Always disappearing and shitz. I wonder if Zeref will pull through and do something? My inner fan says no but we'll see. Until next time! R&amp;R.


	22. In the Lonely Hour

Long time now see! It's been I think a year and half. Really I never meant for so much time to pass but such is life. The current arc that's going on the manga has me so pissed off, I can't believe the author is making one of my favorite anime/manga into a joke. Anyways I've been going back and editing all the chapters except for one so you'll see minor and a few mildly major changes if you go back to refresh your memory. I've been doing the editing over the past year so I don't remember everything I did but I do remember rewriting some parts of the Chaos battle _again(_Yury delivers the final blow, not Lia), Laxus and Yury having another fight at the hospital, ananke no longer causes blindness but magic exhaustion, Lucy and Leo go on a date(it's not shown tho just mentioned), gray and juvia go for a walk(again not shown) and so on.

I would have liked to rewrite every chapter if there weren't so many lol. I'm not sure if I'll be doing regular updates but I can say I won't completely abandon the story.

Sidenote there is one flashback scene that will be taken out and moved to a previous chapter, but I wanted to give the chance for those who are caught up with the story to read it first and not have to go back to find it.

kurahieiritr JIO: The Tapia's have always been greedy, and you won't see the last of it ;). Hmm I never realized the parallels between Lucy and Lia. Lia did make the choice to leave and never return to her old life like Lucy.

Rittou: omg your review made me so happy I was so surprised when I randomly got the email notification. I hope there's enough Zeref in here for you and I'm sorry I didn't update for so long T_T.

SeleneAlice: well not soon but it's updated *blushes*

Thank you to eminemlover15july61988, rini24, JcL107, CalieY0817, Jumpingtiger, littlesimmer2, newbyfroob, Anileath, Savy54, milli.a205, Rygger, SeleneAlice, and AgrittaNills for favoriting/following this story.

And finally the long awaited chapter. Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 22. In the Lonely Hour

_1500 Years Before the Dragon King Festival_

_War had broken out in Alakitasia again. Over the previous centuries, the continent had been riddled in war, a never-ending cycle of brief peace and bloodshed. A soldier possessing Great Tree Arc magic, tried in vain to pull himself to a safer location. He dragged his body across the battlefield, avoiding nearby skirmishes. His legs had been slashed down, he could no longer feel anything from the second half of his body. He was a few feet away a small wall of rocks before the blade of another chopped off his head. _

_Gabor Ametsuchi wiped the blood off his sword with an already stained piece of cloth, before settling on the wall of rocks the decapitated man was trying to reach. He sat with a bored expression waiting for action to happen. Gabor was a boorish, tall man with broad shoulders, meaty limbs and disheveled short silver hair. His expression changed to mild interest as Bai Wakahisa strolled up to him._

_Bai Wakahisa's silky black hair was out of its usual topknot. It moved like a wave as the wind picked up. Her face was sour as the grime on her face marred her attractive features. A splash of mud had settled onto her brown skin when one of her creations accidently kicked it into her direction. "Gabor, you are supposed to be helping not sitting. Get up you lazy slug." _

_Gabor sniffed. "Maybe I should move away from here. Your stench will likely cause me to keel over if I stay too close."_

_Bai rolled her eyes at his comment. "As if you can speak on anyone's stench. You reek of alcohol and the whores you shame yourself with." _

"_Would you rather I had you under me Bai?"_

"_I would never soil my bed by having you warm it."_

"_Then we can use my bed."_

"_I would nev-"_

"_It seems," a man said as he interrupted the bickering clan leaders. "You sure get along well."_

_Gabor and Bai stared wide-eyed at Haluk Acnologia. Their argument ceased once he made his presence known to them. He rarely stepped onto battlefields, preferring his tireless negotiations that rarely went anywhere. His long curly dark blue hair obscured his eyes. He flicked his bangs out of the way before sending the two a serene smile. _

_Gabor shook the surprise off his face. "Does it look like we get along?"_

"_Of course," Haluk nodded. "If not, you wouldn't be interacting at all. Those who can fight like children get along just fine in my eyes."_

_Haluk silently handed Bai a dampened handkerchief when he noticed her discomfort at being covered in filth. She smiled warmly at him before glaring at Gabor for not offering his handkerchief. Gabor shrugged his shoulders at her._

_Haluk's expression grew serious. "The seven clans have to stop fighting before they destroy the entire continent." His gaze fell upon the smoky blacked out sky above. _

"_They will not," Bai said. "Not unless someone more powerful than them finally paralyzes their war craven minds. We can only do so much." _

"_Yeah I enjoy war as much as the next person but this is getting exhausting. I wouldn't mind an era of peace that lasts more than a few months," Gabor agreed._

_The Acnologia, Ametsuchi and Wakahisa clans had been trying to dissipate the conflicts between the clans that also lived on Alakitasia for decades. Haluk, Gabor and Bai were the current leaders of their respective clans and led their families into battle to protect their homeland. They considered exile if the seven clans managed to completely invade Alvarez. _

_The three allied clans were cousin clans. Once minor houses, they rose to power after the ruling clans of their country were wiped out while fighting in the never-ending war that wrecked the continent. The three clans survived by marrying with each other, and soon shared similar features, such as the colorful hair and eyes of the Acnologias and Ametsuchi, the dark skin of the Wakahisas and the Acnologia, and the soft and tamed hair textures of the Ametsuchi and the Wakahisa. _

_Each of the seven clans tried to invade Alvarez; any land they could obtain would be added wealth and power to their country. Since Alvarez was seen as a state without a permanent person or clan in power, it was easy pickings, or so they thought. At first, each clan sent small numbers, underestimating the power of the three allied clans. Each clan would then receive the skull of the invasion general, signifying the defiance of the allied three. Over the years, the allied three's forces and clans would grow, becoming even bigger threats and players in the war that never died._

_A battle cry was heard in the distance as members of the Samara, Marchand and Tapia houses attacked troops of the allied three. Gabor smirked, showing off his sharpened teeth, which he used for intimidation. The ground underneath the Samaras, Marchands and Tapias broke off, floating high in the sky. Miniature versions of planets surrounded the warring clans before exploding and sent them rocketing back to the earth. Bai gathered small rocks, noticing her other creations were being destroyed and created new ones. Haluk grabbed a spear from nearby and aimed it at the heart of a soldier. He used his soul magic to obtain the soldier's soul before it ascended to heaven. His soul was used to battle the living souls of his comrade's moments later. _

_Bai sighed heavily. She'd been making endless creations to use against the clans and soldiers. Her magic supply was dimming to a dangerous level. "If only we didn't have the restrictions we do on our magic. If we even dared to commit the taboos of our magic, everyone close to us would perish and we would be stuck with each other forever." Haluk and Gabor silently agreed with her. Gabor himself thought stopping time would save more lives and kill more enemies. Haluk found it tedious to have to kill someone before claiming the souls for his own use. The seven clan members were difficult to kill, especially since the souls he fought with were usually too weak to do any real damage to them. Bai thought of the potential to use demons instead of stone and tree creations in battles instead. Sure it would take more time to birth them but she could create one-tenth the amount of demons to fight with and still have better results. _

"_What if you could use the full potential of your magic without consequence?" _

_Bai, Gabor and Haluk saw standing in front of them was Thesis, the primordial Goddess of Creation. Flanking her were Chronos, the primordial God of Time and Tartarus, the primordial God of the Tartarean pit. The magic of Living, Spacetime and Soul were gifted by the gods long before. They only came down to Earthland to deal with human conflicts when the situation was dire. _

_The three clan leaders immediately fell to their knees and bowed to the Gods. They didn't raise their heads until instructed._

"_We have been watching you," Chronos started. "You three possess great mastery in your magic and have an abundant amount of magic power."_

"_You could wipe out this entire planet if you so choose," Tartarus said._

"_I think that is beyond our capabilities my lord," Haluk said._

"_Is it really?" Tartarus questioned._

"_We are willing to give you three the weapons needed to finally end the Clan Wars," Thesis said._

_The God's hands glowed as items appeared in their grasps. Tartarus had a bronze colored sword, Chronos a long silver scepter and Thesis a jeweled golden chalice. On the belly of the grail, the length of the scepter and the handle of the sword was the AUM symbol. Living, Spacetime and Soul magic were considered the Holy Trinity of not only black magic but also all magic. They represented the cycle of the universe; creation, manifestation and destruction. The Holy Trinity Treasures originally belonged to the God's gifting them. It was the first time any human had ever seen them._

"_This is the Spacetime Scepter, the Holy Grail and the Soul Reaper Sword. With these, we give our permission for you three to use the taboos of your respective magic. Until the day you die, you'll always have possession of them and then they will be passed down to whoever in your families is most worthy of them, whether they have a good or evil heart. You may use them however you like and may also give each other permission to use your treasures as long as you are not coerced into doing so," Chronos explained._

"_With these, we acknowledge you three as being the most powerful Soul, Living and Spacetime users currently living," Tartarus said._

"_Use them wisely. If any other users of your magic tried to use the taboos, God Ankhseram would curse them with the Contradictory Curse. Inform them that they still cannot use the taboos or else they face punishment. We will take our leave now. Good luck our children," Thesis said before they disappeared leaving behind the treasures. _

_All the enemy forces nearby were killed almost instantly. Gabor only waited a few moments after the Gods had left before using his Scepter. _

"_Gabor!" Haluk sternly called his name._

_Bai rolled her eyes. "Leave him, the only things he thirsts are alcohol, women and blood."_

"_Still… he should have some measure of restraint."_

_Gabor starred at his Scepter in contemplation, not listening to their conversation. _

"_You know," Gabor started. "We really could end this war with these. Enter a new era of peace like you're always yammering about. But only if the seven are under control. Our control."_

_Haluk and Bai shared a look, digesting their friend's words. With the treasures, they had a better chance of defeating the seven, but could they actually conquer them? _

_Conquer they did. Weeks later, they set out to the nearest enemy land. They had sent messages to each clan leader, warning them if they did not stand down, and end the war on peaceful terms, they would be forced. A couple responded, some did not, but none were the answers the three were looking for. _

_The Samaras were the first to fall. The others followed suit, each clan leader or newly made clan leader bending the knee to the three before they moved on to conquer another. Jobe and Baba were the last to be conquered. Jobe having gotten word of the Samaras, Marchands, Tapias, Orlovs and the Danchevs defeats, were set against being taken down by unworthy minor clans. They abandoned their cities ran by minor clans except the capital city, bringing all their forces to defend the Jobe clan members in the castle. The citizens were forced to find refuge in the forests and swamps, along with all the minor clans except one. _

_The Jobes were able to craft a nearly impenetrable defense, despite losing over half their forces trying to keep out the allied military from the capital city. Using the sacrificed blood of their fallen men, they made a revolutionary barrier. Haluk was tied up in another region of the continent, leaving Gabor and Bai to deal with the growing headache of the Jobes. _

_Bai and Gabor decided to leave the capital and find the minor houses, but each castle, villa or mansion they came upon was abandoned. Finally, they found a small villa that still had living beings, run by the Kaneshiros. The Kaneshiros welcomed Bai and Gabor with open arms, filled with venom from being thrown aside by the Jobes. The Kaneshiros agreed to help find the other minor houses, gathering them until the Jobes were taken down. Gabor went along with them while Bai wandered into the swamps, and stumbled upon a new ally that would be the downfall of the Jobes. _

_The dragon Akiba, a white dragon with green eyes, and Majer, a black dragon with purple eyes, were hidden amidst the smoke of the shifty swamp. They too had grown tired of the humans fighting, and after much convincing, settled to help the allied three in taking down the Jobes fortress. Making a detour trip to pick up Gabor, they flew back to the capital, their armies in tow. The sheer strength of Majer was able to crumble the barrier the Jobes erected, leaving them defenseless. Bai gave them one last chance, throw down their weapons, have their magic sealed and give up complete power to the allied three. The Jobes, a rather prideful bunch to the very end, did not take the offer. They choose to remain in the castle, and die a 'warriors death'. Their military was not so ready to die; they quickly surrendered and moved to the outskirts of the capital, waiting for the slaughter of their former lords and ladies._

_Akiba's flames roasted every single person alive and even years later, some say they could still smell the charred flesh._

_The Kaneshiros would be named the new head clan of the country, and have it renamed in their honor, despite not having an ancient magic type._

_The last and final conquered land was the easiest of them all. The Fermatas, another minor clan, also heard the tales of the allied forces, and assembled a ragtag army composed of men and women of fighting age from villages in their surrounding area. They snuck into the Baba castle in the dead of the night, assassinating roughly three-fourths of the clan. The rest surrendered, fleeing the country, traveling across the sea to settle in Ishgar. Most of the clan went their separate ways, but in Ishgar, their ancient magic type, Memory-make would become popular amongst other wizards._

_The Fermatas, also bent the knee to the allied three, and were made into the head clan of the country, renamed in their honor, despite also not possessing an ancient magic type._

_Haluk, Bai and Gabor made history by combining their powers and ended the Clan Wars for good. They built their own empire, and ruled over the seven clans with an iron fist. Haluk was chosen as the Emperor, he was the only one of the three that avoided conflict without being a weak ruler. He was a fair ruler to the common people, making reforms to give them more freedom and rights. It would not be until about one hundred years later that the Ten Imperial Council would be established, as the Holy Three did not trust the seven clans to make the right decisions yet, keeping them out of major meetings. Even with the unity with the other clans, the Holy Three stayed loyal to each other. To show his appreciation to his friends, Imperial Emperor Haluk gifted Bai Wakahisa and Gabor Ametsuchi with swords he crafted himself from the given, melted down scales of Akiba and Majer. Since the other two held treasures not meant for close range fighting, he wanted weapons made so they could fight side by side on every battlefield._

"_This one is named Zareef," Haluk said handing Bai a sword with a pure white blade and a gold hilt. _

"_And this one is Deva." Gabor eyed the two swords. Other than the coloring, Deva having a black blade with a silver hilt, the swords were identical. _

"_You two are like night and day. But you share the same purpose and have the same unyielding strength. I'm grateful for your friendships and hope the bonds between our families will never be broken. These swords are the starting points to beautiful partnerships," Haluk smiled._

_Bai and Gabor were left in awe at his small speech. _

"_The fact that you compared me to this prudish lady is unforgivable Haluk. You better sleep with one eye open," Gabor joked._

"_I have to agree with the brute on this. While the sentiment is nice, it turns my stomach knowing that he has the other half of the twin swords," Bai informed._

"_You see, you even agree upon the same things," Haluk pointed out unbothered by the threats._

"_Idiot Emperor!" Bai lost her composure for a moment. Long enough to thump Haluk on the head. Gabor and Bai sat on either side of him, continuing a previous argument. Even though they vocalized their displeasure of sharing twin blades, they fought with them every time the treasures weren't needed. The twin blades would be etched in history. Numerous battles with foreign enemies were won with them and every citizen knew their names after the days of Haluk, Bai and Gabor. When the days of their passing came, they were both buried with them, cherishing the gifts their friend gave them. The one who was able to keep the three together with a smile always present. _

_Year X370_

_Zeref and Prance were playing in the front yard of Zeref's family villa. They had chased frogs from the backyard ponds all the way around the house until they no longer could. A fire ant bit Zeref's little sister. She breathed in deeply at first like she was catching her breath, then let out a piercing wail and wouldn't let up until their mother came tearing out of the house. The trees and bushes were uprooted, floating high above their heads. The frogs in their new gravity flew away, disappointing the two boys. _

_Zeref suggested traveling to the palace to play with the royal children in the throne room._

_Prance was hesitant at first; he was still getting used to being treated nicely by the other imperial clans. Using the throne room, which he had only stepped into once before, as a playroom was enough to make his head spin. _

_Zeref tugged his new friend through the streets of the capital city of Alvarez. They weaved their way through the vender's stations, sneaking apples into their robes. Prance felt a sharp pain on the back of his skull and collapsed. Zeref turned his head at the sudden downward pull on his arm. He awoke tied to a chair in a damp, dimly lit room hours later._

"_Ah, you're awake. Good we can proceed with the awakening," said Sid Tapia, head the awakening process for the Three Holy Clans. Sid had tried tiredly to find a weakness, maybe a fear to use against Zeref for his awakening. He came up short in his research. So he decided to take the basic route of brutalization. _

_Sid exited the room, motioning tow other men with masks to proceed without him._

_The masked men had heavy clubs in their hands. They walked up to Zeref and the one on the left took the first swing. _

_Zeref had read a text when he was five years old about pain sensors. In the essay, it had instructions on how to lower your sensors so you would feel less pain than the average person. Zeref employed that method while the wood smashed against his head over and over again, only feeling a dull throbbing. _

_Prance awoke to the sound of wood on flesh. He face down on a filthy floor with his arms and legs bound together. He flipped his body around so he could see where the noise was coming from. His blurry vision showed Zeref, the only other child of the imperial clans that was willing to befriend him, getting his body clobbered by two masked men wielding clubs. "Hey!" Prance yelled. "What are you doing to him?! Lay off you scum!" The raven haired Fermata boy caught the attention of the other occupants of the room. Zeref grimaced at his interruption. He was trying to control his magic, hoping he could delay his awakening until Prance was let out of the room. He knew his raw power would most likely kill Prance, and he didn't want his new friend to die at his hands. _

_Prance knew nothing of the awakening process. He was left in the dark about most of the inner workings of the Holy Three. To him, two thugs were only heinously beating Zeref. "You wait until his parents hear about this! You'll never get away with this! If I wasn't tied up I'd take you on myself. You're bullies. Nothing but bullies. Beating up a little kid. How sick can you get?!" Zeref wished Prance would stay quiet. He could tell the men were agitated by his words. They paused their beating on Zeref to deal with Prance. _

"_Hey you bastard seed. Shut your little cock sucking mouth before I rip it off," one threatened Prance. Prance answered by spitting on the man's boots. "That's it you little punk." The man swung his club at Prance's head, knocking him straight across the room. He crashed against the back wall before collapsing onto the ground. A pool of blood swelled around his head. Zeref's eyes widened at the increasing size of the puddle. His own head was profusely bleeding, but he ignored it and focused solely on Prance. It was scaring him how big the puddle was getting. Hajima would be devastated to lose Prance just months after losing his wife and almost losing his son to the same disease. _

_The man went to strike Prance again. "Stop," Zeref whispered. A pulse catapulted through the air. The men were slowly moving in their places. Everything in the area had turned black and white except Zeref and Prance. Sid had left for Tapia research center, watching miles away. Another pulse. Every living thing close by felt it. A surge of magic power targeted and hunted down everything that was in black and white. Every molecule, atom, cell shattered, releasing the stored energy, creating an unprecedented explosion that rocked the earth. Gamma rays were released in a short burst that lasted for 50 milliseconds. A blinding light, the afterglow, lasted for days. No one went near the area until it faded. Nothing was there anymore except the two friends. The land was barren; nothing grew there ever again. _

_Year X761_

_Normus Netopia walked through the forest ahead of his parents. They were on their yearly camping trip and the ten-year-old was aloud to explore the forest by himself as long as he didn't venture far. He came upon a clearing where the animals usually were abundant and was surprised to see none in sight. Instead a lone man was seated on the forest floor, with all the grass underneath and near him dead. _

"_Excuse me… sir?" Normus asked. The man's head whipped around at the timid voice of another. "What happened to all the animals? Did you scare them away by accident?"_

_The stranger slowly nodded his head. "It wasn't safe for them to be around me… you shouldn't be here either. Leave quickly please… no stay. No! Go! Leave already before…" He stopped speaking when he noticed the arrival of two more people. _

"_Normus what are you doing?" Normus's mother asked him. "You were supposed to back at camp five minutes ago." _

"_Why aren't you listening?! Leave! Please… please leave." A black cloud surrounded the man as he held his head in his hands. _

"_Isn't that?" Normus's mother asked as she stepped back into the chest her husband. _

"… _the Contradictory Curse." Normus's father whispered. _

_The cloud's radius expanded, drawing closer to the family of three. _

"_Normus run. Run quickly! Go back to campsite, pack up anything you can carry and use the lacrima to call your aunt. Tell her to pick you by the road as soon as possible," Normus's mother rushed out as she pushed her son out of the clearing just as the cloud was inches away from them. Normus followed her instructions sensing the severity of the situation. He looked back just once to see his parents laying dead on the forest floor as the strange man stood over them crying. _

_One week later, Normus riffled through his parent's library to find information on the Contradictory Curse. His aunt wouldn't tell him anything about the curse, and none of his other family members had ever heard of it. _

_Normus found the book on Black Magic and flipped to the section about curses._

_Ankhseram Black Magic, also known as the Contradictory Curse is the most powerful and deadliest known to mankind. The users of the curse have the power to bring about death to any living thing within a certain radius of them. It is uncontrollable unless the user does not care about life. The curse is caused when someone breaks a taboo of Black Magic. The most common cases involve those wielding Living, Soul and Spacetime Magic breaking the taboo of their respective magic. In other rare cases, those who break the taboos of other Black Magic will also be cursed. The curse affects the victim's life by giving them immortality and even contradicts their own thoughts, causing confusion. For example, a victim might show love to a person but moments later express their hatred for them. Only wizards as powerful or more powerful can kill the victim of the curse. They cannot die by normal or extreme means such as starvation or being burned alive. The only beings on Earth-Land that are imperious to Death Magic are Dragons and Etherius Demons. The most well known victim of the Contradictory Curse is the Black Wizard Zeref, creator of the Etherius Demons. Zeref is the only confirmed victim that is still living but his whereabouts are unknown._

_There are a few unconfirmed victims including Devi of the Seven Deadly. There have been reports of black clouds similar to those who possess the Contradictory Curse surrounding her. Most likely the world will never know for sure because Devi died hundreds of years ago. _

Zeref's eyes were red as he looked at the group of Fairy Tail members from the future. Gray shivered as he remembered the last time he encountered the dark wizard. When he killed Mard Geer and left with the book of END. The book Gray's father told him to destroy.

"Since everyone here is too incompetent to either protect her and kill her properly, I'll have to be the one that saves her. Again," Zeref said as he slid a gold ring off his finger.

"S-save her?" Lucy asked intimidated by Zeref's presence. His eyes shifted to her as she spoke. She fought off a shiver. "I thought she was already dead? This is the second time she's disappeared without a trace. We came back so we could protect her but now she's gone again."

"Disappeared. Gone. You're using the right words but you do not understand their meanings. Devi is gone yes. But is no longer living? No. Although if I don't get her out she'll be stuck there forever.

"You see," Zeref continued. "Devi took her physical self out of existence. If she were truly dead, you from the future wouldn't remember any of your encounters with her at all. When she disappeared in the future, you still remembered her correct? She was seemingly erased from history and time but you could still remember her. Isn't that a bit odd? When you told her about what happened she knew exactly what to do to prevent her death because it would never occur on her timeline. She sensed the Anti-Magic Ray Gun and right before it hit it's target, created a time warp, a spot in space that exists in all time. Devi came up with the solution as soon as she realized everyone she interacted with after her death should know or remember her. She relayed the plan to the rest of the team, leaving you, the group from the future, oblivious."

The ring in Zeref's palm glowed gold before it grew in size and the shape morphed. A golden, jeweled cup with a small lid composed of glittering diamonds took the place of the Zeref's ring. Everyone present saw a quick flash of white light and a bursting sensation in their bodies.

"No it can't be…" Normus said voicing his denial.

Zeref raised the cup above the spot Devi vanished from. An ear piercing, buzzing sound was emitted. Devi was seen floating in a fetal position with her hands cradled around the silver key she wore around her neck. The area she was in was tight, compact, and it looked as if she was floating in space, with the dark atmosphere around her having tiny spheres similar to planets.

"Every decision we make or do not make ripples off to form alternate futures and realities. When the Spacetime cult killed her, it created an alternate reality. Somehow, fragments of that reality fused together with this one, creating a paradox. That way you would remember her and go back in time to prevent her death from happening, thus informing her of her fate and… here we are now," Zeref smirked.

"However, because she is trapped in the time warp she can't get out without the aid of another. A time warp needs an abundant amount of Spacetime magic to sustain. So she used her Spacetime Scepter and harnessed its raw energy, putting her in a state of static. Since she used the Scepter, only someone who harnesses one of the other treasures can get her out the time warp."

The Holy Grail glowed briefly and Devi fell from inside the bubble. She landed on her knees still cradling the key around her neck.

As soon as Devi stood up, lightning struck the ground nearby. A violent storm was brewing above. The wind picked up, growing to ferocious speeds. The moon vanished from the night sky, and all the electricity went out. The hair on their skin stood up from the static in the air. The two groups from the future started to disappear in the same fashion Lia did.

"What's happening?!" Erza screamed.

"Time is collapsing!" Devi yelled over the harsh winds. She used her hands to keep her skirt from flying up. "All of time from this point on is breaking. Your future is dying and so are you."

The sky opened up, letting out a monstrous wave that swallowed the land whole.

The water pushed everyone away from each other. The current was rough and unforgiving; making is difficult to hold onto anything. Most of the building were pulled from their foundations and washed away. Zeref searched the water for Devi, knowing she'd struggle the most under the aggressive flood. He spotted her trying to reach the surface, but being dragged down by every movement she made. Zeref outstretched his hand, making sure to have a firm grip on the Holy Grail before clasping Devi's hand. Once their hands touched, the water rushed around them. Light caused by the Holy Grail engulfed the water. Zeref used the Holy Grail to part the flood, leaving skyscraper tall walls of water on either side.

Mavis crawled over to the two treasure owners. "You have to fix it before it's too late." She coughed up water, lying down on the ground to rest.

Zeref and Devi nodded to each other. Standing up, Devi took the necklace key from around her neck. Removing the key from the chain, she threw it up into the air. The shape warped like the Holy Grail, transforming into a long staff with a model of the solar system on top. It towered over her medium sized frame. When it fell into her outstretched arm, those present felt as if everything moved in slow motion for a moment.

The Spacetime cult could not believe Devi had the Scepter all along. They never knew the treasures could change forms and hide in plain sight. To think that their biggest targets, Zeref and Devi, had two of the treasures was implausible. They were unsure if Devi broke a taboo since there was never any solid proof. It was certainly a slap in the face to Normus, who had spent the majority of his life dedicated to taking down Devi for having the same curse as Zeref. He royally screwed up and knew he would pay the price for it.

Normally, it would take only one Spacetime wizard to fix wounds in time. Since time was collapsing, one with ample magic energy was needed. Zeref and Devi both exerted their magic power by using the Holy Treasures with draining spells. To prevent time from completely collapsing, they had to combine their magic power.

"On my authority I, Zeref, first of his name, owner of the Holy Grail, give permission to Devi, to harness the power of my Holy Trinity Treasure."

"On my authority, I Devi, first of my name, owner of the Spacetime Scepter, give permission to Zeref, to harness the power of my Holy Trinity Treasure."

Zeref and Devi both let go of their treasures, letting them float to the halfway point between the two. The bottom half the grail dematerialized long with the top of the scepter. They fused together, the lid of the grail sitting atop the scepter. Zeref and Devi both reached a hand around the fused treasures, holding onto the other before turning so their backs were to facing each other. They entwined their other hands. Cold air broke out from the earth beneath them.

Kairos was the spell used fix time. It consisted of a tiresome chant that used an ancient language no one spoke except Spacetime wizards. Zeref and Devi poured their magic into time, directing the raw energy from the treasures. Time usually corrects itself but when a major wound happens, time cannot generate energy fast enough to fix itself; that's where a Spacetime wizard steps in. Spacetime wizards can convert their magic energy to generate the same that space and time uses to heal itself.

Bringing time from the brink of destruction was no easy feat. It was strenuous, if they lost focus even for a split second, their minds and bodies would be ripped apart, lost in the storm of time forever. Devi fell to her knees from the strain of the spell, but kept a tight grasp on Zeref's hands. Zeref went down to her level, supporting her until she was able to stand for the final lap Kairos. The AUM symbol burned onto their foreheads, they opened their eyelids to reveal whited out eyeballs. Their arms rose up, the night sky had rapid flashes of planets, stars and other celestial bodies long since past and not yet born. With one final chant, magic burst about, settling into the wounds and closing them for good.

Devi's eyelids closed, her head nodded down and she fell forward. Zeref shook the fatigue off and faced the Spacetime cult.

"There's no possible way you two have the holy treasures," the youngest member of the cult argued.

Zeref sneered. "That's the problem with second rate mages. You don't know enough about your magic but walk around half cocked. The treasures go to those most worthy, whether their alignment be good or bad.

"Your punishment for the attempted murder of Devi is-"

Normus appeared alarmed. "Wait!"

Zeref paused, waiting for Normus to continue.

"I uh, I'm sorry. I truly apologize. For all of this." Normus began sweating profusely. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "I didn't know Devi was innocent of having the Contradictory Curse. When I was a little kid, I was on a camping trip with my parents. We ran into you and… they died. I was distraught for the longest time. I wanted to know what had killed my parents and why is it happened. I discovered in a textbook those who possessed the curse. Devi's name was under those suspected. Knowing what I knew about her it didn't seem like a stretch that she would also have the curse. I tried to kill you myself many times and failed. So I went after the next best thing."

Silence. Everyone waited with baited breath to hear how Zeref would respond.

"Be it as it may," Zeref uttered. "That does not give you the right to go after an innocent party."

"But-" Normus stammered.

"- Chibi-Lia is off limits to everyone." _Chibi-Lia?_ _First Reiki, then Acnologia and now Zeref of all people? Why do they all call her that? How well do they know each other? _Lucy thought.

"I was taken over by stupidity and rage!"

"Those are the downfall of most, and now you," Zeref promised. "Those who hurt my sister in any timeline must pay with their lives." Devi, who had recovered from her sudden fall and was leaning against Prance, closed her eyes at the mention of her relation to Zeref.

The Ametsuchi and Wakahisa clans hadn't intermarried since before the rebellion of the seven clans. The first product of their union was Zeref Ametsuchi-Wakahisa, the future most powerful wizard of all time. The second, four years later, was Devi, a talented mage in her own right. She came at the tail end of their parent's marriage, a few months shy of getting dubbed a bastard by being born out of wedlock. Even those conceived during a marriage but born after a divorce were considered bastards in their Empire. So Shah and Ophelia waited until after she was born to officially end their union, avoiding future shame. The two siblings were inseparable, clinging to one another for affection and support. Even with his body and mind cursed, Zeref still protected Devi no matter what the cost.

_Zeref walked through the small front gate of their villa, holding Devi's hand. Their mother Ophelia was waiting in the kitchen. _

"_Mama!" Devi exclaimed, running to her mother's side. "I got you some flowers. But some mean men broke them when they tried to take me." Ophelia could see the dirt and dried tears on her daughters face. Her silver hair was out of the intricate up-do her mother had done before they left the house to explore the forest near the outer edge of the city. _

_The city was approximately 780 square kilometers. The capital city was actually the capital country, Alvarez. The capital was broken up into three rings; Imperial, Monetary, and Academia. Imperial housed the royal palace and all the homes of the extended Acnologia clan. The Wakahisa clan lived in Monetary, where the main bank was. And the Ametsuchi clan dwelled in Academia, where the upper class academy and the numerous research centers were. Each ring was large enough to separate the different classes and business areas for the city-state._

_Ophelia waited until her daughter was ushered out of the room by a maid for a bath before speaking._

"_I don't want you going into the forest again. Unless an adult is with you," Ophelia commanded._

_Zeref raised a delicate eyebrow. "I don't see why, Chibi-Lia only wandered away for a moment. I'm more than capable of taking care of her." _

"_I have more than enough to worry about and not knowing if my children are safe at all times is stressful. Besides, you may have killed those men-" Zeref's eyes darted to her. "-I know you did Zeref you reek of death. Now your father would say you're not ready to protect anyone unless you complete and succeed in the trials. You should focus more on training than taking your sister to pick flowers."_

_Zeref rolled his eyes at the thought of training even more than he was then. Studying at the academy and training took up most of his time. Since he was twelve, and the Elite Trials was the year after, he was expected to dedicate the upcoming year solely on ensuring his place in the Elite. It didn't matter how much he trained. No one stood a chance. He was supposedly the most powerful wizard, or was going to be._

"_I know I'm the pride and joy of the clans but do I have to dedicate all my life to living up to a prophecy? Maybe I want to enjoy the little things like spending time with my sister or being with my friends. I won't disappoint you. You know I won't. But don't make me miserable by trying to be something that is being forced upon me."_

_Ophelia's eyes softened. She knew the pressure he was feeling. In her generation, along with her ex husband and the current king, they were the most powerful. Being the keeper of the Spacetime Scepter was a heavy burden. And being the mother of the most powerful wizard was no easy task. It took all she had not to cry at the damned life her son would have. But she didn't know just how damned it would be._

Sister? The word rang through the minds of Fairy Tail. The only one who didn't seem affected by the news, surprise, was Laxus. He knew the true past of the Seven Deadly and kept it hidden along with Makarov and Gildarts. Gray was seeing red. He had to dig his nails into his skin, drawing blood, to stop himself from going into a rage.

Zeref swiped his hands in a circular, until the bottoms touched. A large black and white pillar targeted the Spacetime cult. Death Pillar. The same spell used on Hades a century later.

The red from his eyes gradually dispersed. Zeref rubbed his hand to his face. "So many lives end by my hand. Well will the cycle of death end? When will it stop haunting me?" Tears dripped down his pale cheeks. Mei rubbed her hand on his shoulder, soothing him.

Devi was quietly whispering to herself, eyeing Gray as he clenched and unclenched his hands. "Time is telling us you have to go back to your future. Once you're back, everything will go back to normal." She wanted them out of there before they blew up on her, electing her future self to deal with them.

A time portal opened behind the Fairy Tail crew. Yury sent a strong gust of wind in their direction, knocking them inside the portal.

Lucy rubbed the back of her head; she could already tell a bump would form from the impact of landing. She heard the others members imitating similar actions, along with noises of surprise from the guild members who had stayed behind from the rescue mission.

"You guys are back so soon!" Levy exclaimed as she reached forward to embrace Gajeel. Plucking her face from his hard chest she addressed the rest of the group. "Where's Lia? Is she not back yet?"

Gray's face thin lips contorted into a snarl at the mention of the Spacetime wizard.

"If she does come back, she better not step foot into this guild if she knows what's good for her."

The guild was taken aback at his remark. They shared glances between themselves, silently wondering who would pluck up the courage to question Gray. Lucy hesitantly placed a hand on Gray's shoulder. "Gray…"

"No Lucy," Gray barked at her and Lucy removed her hand as if she had been burned. "They need to hear this. They need to know what type of person she is, not who she's been pretending to be.

"It looks like our precious Ophelia has been lying to us, and Makarov and Laxus have been covering it up. The Seven Deadly, the ones we've heard legends about since childhood are nothing but a bunch a snakes in disguise. Deliora? They created it. These demons we've been busting our asses to keep out of cities and kill? They created them. It all makes fucking sense now that I think about it."

Levy watched as Gray yanked at his hair, muttering his last sentence to himself. "Gray you're not making sense. What do mean The Seven Deadly created Deliora? What does any of that of that have to do with Lia? Where is she? Why isn't she here?"

"It was everything to do with her! That girl has been lying the second she woke up out the book."

"You have to elaborate further Gray. You're only confusing everyone," Erza suggested. She too held anger in her voice. Her spine was ridged and neck tense, she stood as if she was ready to join battle at any moment. "She's Devi. The founders and Reiki, all of them are in The Seven Deadly. Makarov knows, he's known since he was a toddler. Laxus too. And…"

"And? What could get worse than that?" Cana slammed her beer down, spilling some onto her clenched hand. The buzz she was feeling was that day's drinking sessions was wearing off at the turn of the conversion. Cana along with the other members were getting frustrated not knowing the whole truth about Ophelia. Or Devi. Whatever she referred to herself as. And Mavis? The cute founder was apart of that mess as well? They were finding it hard to believe esteemed Wizard Saints attributed to the heinous acts inflicted by Zeref on Earthland. Other than also being a part of The Seven Deadly in ancient times, nothing else linked them together. Maybe the rescue team was mistaken. It could all be a misunderstanding that escalated to dangerous waters. From the looks of Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Juvia's faces, they weren't as willing to send Lia to the guillotine just yet.

"And she's Zeref's sister," Gray finished with his eyes blazing.

"-disappearing?" Lia was disorientated. One moment she was disintegrating, pieces of her fading away into the night air, the next she was blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the sun. The giant ball of heat was slowing lowering itself, hiding behind the brick buildings of the city. Lia rubbed her eyes, wondering if maybe she got blackout drunk the night before but discarded the idea, as she had no pounding feeling against her skull, just bewilderment plagued her.

Finding no use in staying outside, she made her way into the guildhall.

"Guys?"

The guild turned their attention to the guild entrance, which was occupied by the main attraction of the day. She was still in the same clothes she had vanished in, when she had caused the entire world to go into a panic.

"Do you know what happened last night? I can't rem…" Lia trailed off, startled by snarl that Gray directed to her. "Um… are you okay?"

"Okay? You're asking me that after everything? I'll admit, I'm surprised you had the guts to slither in here. I guess snakes really do have no fear since they have the devil at their side."

Lia's forehead wrinkled in confusion. Cocking her head to the side, she tried sending a questioning look to Lucy but she wasn't meeting her gaze.

"Are you speaking in code? I really I have no idea what this about and why the hell is everyone looking at me like I murdered their mother?!" Lia yelled out to the rest of the guild, none of them flinched at her tone of voice, her outcry seemed to have pissed them off more if possible.

"You probably did," Droy spat, earning a high-five from Jet. Lia stared dumbfounded at the exchange. Again she looked for help, finally catching Laxus's eyes. The blond sighed heavily, folding his arms across his chest. "They know Lia."

"Know? Know what?"

"They know you're Zeref's sister," Makarov stated gravely. He had remained quiet since the rescues team arrived from the portal, sensing the foreboding waves rolling off them.

Lia's mouth fell open to form an 'o' shape. She lightly nodded her head as she took in the news. She knew the day would come, just not so soon.

"You're an evil liar ya know? Just like your brother." Gray moved so close to her she could feel his cold breath on her face. "You really had us believing you were our friend."

"I am your friend Gray, it shouldn't matter who I'm related to-"

"You created the demon that killed my family!" The Ice mage yanked her wrist so her chest yelled into his, never breaking his steely gaze. Lia grew wide-eyed at his violent reaction. "That killed Ur, that left dozens of kids orphaned and parents childless. You're no friend of mine." Gray threw her wrist out of his grasp, causing Lia to stumble back. His nails left indentations in her skin, one wound leaking out blood.

"Ophelia you _lied_ to us," Erza said in a voice barely above a whisper. "All this time and you never once tried telling us the truth. Piling one lie on top of another to hide yourself."

"I'm sorry Erza," Lia softly said. "If you just let me explain I'm sure you would understand why-"

"So now you want to explain? You have had countless chances to explain your side but nothing," Erza's voice trembled.

"No more chances. You've used them all up," Gray cut in.

"You're a black wizard like your brother."

"You're evil."

"You deserve to die for your sins"

"Oh look, pigs bleed red the same as humans," one of the guild mates remarked noticing the trail of blood sliding down her hand as her arms hung at her side. The insults kept flooding in, with only a handful of the guild not taking part.

"You're an abomination," Evergreen said adjusting her glasses.

An abomination? Lia had heard that one slung her way before. A tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it and she felt more rushing to be freed. At the sight of her glistening eyes, Natsu stepped up to her defense.

"Don't listen to them Lia. You're right, it shouldn't matter who you're related to, where you came from, or what you did before you joined the guild. This is Fairy Tail and we take in anyone who wants a fresh start." Lucy nodded at Natsu's speech while Gray scuffed. Feeling another hoard of insults coming her way, Lia spoke up.

"I don't want anyone fighting over me. My presence is making people uncomfortable so I'll just leave. Permanently," Lia confirmed.

"You don't have to go Lia," Wendy insisted.

"The hell she doesn't," Gray retorted.

"Enough Gray," Juvia firmly said. "You've said enough, just leave it be."

Lia shuffled her feet, finding the strength to meet the stares of each of her guild mates before saying "I-I'm really sorry about any pain I might have caused you. Withholding the truth was the wrong move and I regret my actions. As a take my leave, I'll use the time to reflect on my behavior and use the experience to better myself." Her apology sounded like one would give to the school principal after being caught breaking a rule and being punished with suspension. No one would find it sincere if they weren't gifted from her whimpering lips. Lia was going into safe mode, shutting down in front of them.

Lia turned to leave, after giving one final nod.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted, drawing her attention. He pointed to her wrist where her silver Fairy Tail emblem was. "You'll always be Fairy Tail remember."

Lia managed a slight quirk of her lips. "Yeah," she said weakly. Closing the guild doors, Lia walked down the streets of Magnolia, each step becoming harder to do. Her vision blurred and her bottom lip trembled into a shaky pout. She felt lost. She had nowhere to go. She couldn't stay in Magnolia; the guild would cause uproar. She'd have to abandon the home she once shared with Mavis and Reiki. There was nothing for her in Magnolia anymore. Another wave of sadness washed over her as she recalled Natsu's words she heard just a few hours previous. "… _You can find new happiness with us. Don't give up on us yet Lia. _

"All lies," Lia sniffed her nose getting clogged with dripping mucus. "It's always lies."

Fairy Tail started at the entrance doors. They all caught a glimpse of the broken look of Lia's face. They almost felt… sorry?

* * *

Ah! Gosh another secret revealed but so many more will be spilled soon. The next chapter is sort of an in-between chapter. It gives a full explanation on why everyone still remembers Lia and shows the dynamics of the Zeref and Lia relationship. Not sure when I'll update since my semester is starting next week but I promise it won't be as long as last time. Until next time


End file.
